A Heart of Gold
by Haileyamandar
Summary: Shikamaru and Temari are sent on a simple B ranked mission in the Land of Snow. But when you're dealing with a troublesome woman, a secretive family, and a jealous enemy, it's enough to make a B ranked mission capable of changing your life. During Shipp.
1. It Begins

The streets of Konohagakure were almost always far from desolate. And, today was quite no exception; dogs were barking from high windows, citizens were waving at each other as they careened through their daily routines, and children were playing 'ninja' in the alleyways.

Of course, there were some kids who weren't just playing ninja – they _were_ ninja. Two in particular, in fact, were there that day, strolling through the streets without much care. One was a local, a boy of sixteen who went by Nara Shikamaru, son of Nara Shikaku and his troublesome wife, Nara Yoshino.

Actually, troublesome didn't quite cover it. Shikamaru's mother, well, she was downright, insanely scary. But, for the Nara boy, he wasn't sure who was scarier – his mother, or the eighteen year-old girl standing on his left side?

After all, Sabaku no Temari was someone who you never underestimated when it came to someone who could potentially inflict a whole lot of pain on you. To make things worse, Temari was one of the only people in the world who could keep up with Shikamaru's wit. And it drove him nutty…

"Troublesome girl, why do you insist on walking so fast?" Shikamaru grumbled, giving a slight pout of his lips as the woman clad in a purple kimono shot past him. His irritation grew when Temari merely waved her hand over her shoulder, as if blowing off his question.

Surprisingly, though, she did stop walking for a moment to turn and answer him. It didn't surprise him when her answer had a sharper tone to it than Temari tended to use with most other men.

"I'm a woman, not a girl. And it seems you forgot that your Hokage, Lady Tsunade, specifically called for us in her office. Seriously, for a genius, you're actually kind of stupid."

"You realize that doesn't make any sense, right?"

"Whatever," she barked, rolling her teal eyes as if she was annoyed – though Shikamaru could easily tell she was amused by the way the ends of her mouth creaked up in a tiny smile. He still hadn't figured out a lot of things about Temari; for instance, around other men their age, Temari was quiet and respectful, like a woman should be (in Shikamaru's eyes, at least). But when Shikamaru was guiding the sand ninja through the streets of his home village, Temari wouldn't hesitate for a minute when it came to slapping the back of his head whenever he said something rather out-of-line.

"Why are you so unfriendly to me, Temari?" the tall boy asked, throwing his arms behind his neck, a habit of his when he was bored or relaxed. He pretended like he wouldn't care what she answered, but he did sincerely want to know. He might be a genius with an IQ over 200, but even he couldn't understand the mentalities of the female race.

Temari sighed and put a hand on her hip, and afterwards started to laugh. "You seriously want to know why I am so mean to you, Nara boy?" Her gaze matched his and Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the humored, challenging look she seemed to be giving him. Still, he lifted a brow in answer, waiting to hear what she had to say.

Instead of _hearing _her answer, he instead suffered an infamous smack on the back of his head, and immediately he regretted asking Temari such a personal question. "Ah, jeez, troublesome woman! I swear…"

"I'm mean to you because I like your mom, Yoshino, and I owe it to her to be one of the women who puts you in your place. You're a lazy, selfish slob who needs something in your life to motivate you," she spurted out softly, almost a bit creepily… Shikamaru waved his hand in the air to stop her from saying anything else that might be too troublesome to bother with.

"Nyaha, Temari, I understand! Now, let's just get to Tsunade's place, alright? Then you two can go and PMS together in a corner." As he shoved his hands in his pocket, he just barely missed the swiping hand that aimed for the back of his head, and he smiled.

* * *

"Thanks for coming, Temari and Shikamaru. Though, it would have been nice if you had gotten here a little sooner." 

Both Chuunin and Jounin respectfully bowed to the beautiful woman sitting cross-legged on a swivel chair. Temari had heard rumors about this woman, such as her actual age, which was slowly starting to advance towards her sixties. She wondered how she stayed to young-looking, and then remembered what Shikamaru had told her a couple of days ago – Tsunade was actually a cheater, and used her chakra to keep her looking young.

"Forgive me, at least, Lady Tsunade. I made sure to teach Shikamaru a lesson about keeping you waiting," Temari replied with a sincere, apologetic smile. Shikamaru huffed and shot Temari a look of remorse, and rubbed the back of his head.

Tsunade gave a hearty laugh and sat back in her chair, while Shizune, her closest associate, had to keep a gentle hand at her mouth to keep from giggling and interrupting the meeting. She was holding Tonton and standing at the left side of Tsunade's desk.

As if on an invisible cue, Tsunade cleared her throat and leaned back over her paper piles that were covering the whole entire surface of her desk, and picked up one file in particular. Shikamaru knew what was coming and sighed.

"Konoha has a mission for you two," Tsunade announced, licking a finger and turning the corner of a page.

Immediately Shikamaru raised his right hand as an early apology and spoke, "Temari is from Suna, and just because both countries may be at peace now doesn't mean we are doing each other friendly favors. Is it a good idea to send off a Jonin from another village to do our work?"

Temari glanced over at Shikamaru, feeling a small stab of pain that he would say something like that. Surely by now he trusted her? Then she reprimanded herself; Shikamaru was merely stating the obvious. Temari was an ambassador in Konoha and even she was surprised to see that Tsunade was willing to put her trust of Temari over her village.

It was almost as if the Hokage could read the sand ninja's mind, and she quickly cut in to prevent a misunderstanding.

"I'm not stupid, Shikamaru," she said with a smile. "Temari isn't here to be a slave to Konoha. She is a royal ambassador and she is the older sister of the Kazekage. However, as soon as she arrived here in Konoha I sent an express message to Lord Gaara requesting that while Temari was staying in my village, that she be granted permission to accompany any of my ninja on missions I happen to send them off on. He replied with a simple answer: 'I grant you permission, Lady Tsunade, for you to send my older sister off on missions while she is away. Since she is visiting she can be of help for the tasks that you desire. But if she dies I will have to kill you.'"

Temari looked flabbergasted that her youngest brother would threaten the Hokage of another village, especially one that Suna had just been at war with barely three years ago. Trust was something took lots of time, patience, and hard work to regain, and it had not come to pass just yet.

But Tsunade looked far from angry, and in fact, she was beaming with pleasure. Apparently Gaara's threats didn't affect the Hokage's nerves too much. "So, Temari, that means I have your brother's permission to make you Konoha's slave. Do you agree to comply with my future orders, assuming that they be under the proper lines of dignity and respect?"

Temari smiled and bowed. "_Hai_, Hokage-sama. I will work for you while I stay in your village."

Shikamaru watched Temari bow and couldn't help but wonder how much time they would be spending together on this mission. Which reminded him. "So, what is our mission?"

Tsunade nodded and looked back to her paper. "It's a simple B-ranked mission. Normally I would have ranked it as C, but because of the circumstances and location of the mission, it may end up being a bit more difficult. Your job is protect a small family of three and help the head kill a pack of wolves that has been threatening their safety and killing their livestock. Apparently the wolves are not afraid of humans and has tried to attack the family once before. The family has come all the way from the Land of Snow by boat and will take you to their home tomorrow morning. Do you accept?"

"Sounds troublesome, but easy enough," Shikamaru replied, nodding his head once. "I accept."

"I accept," Temari echoed, nodding her head.

"Good. Now, because the two of you are among the last remaining, available ninjas who can take on a mission, I'm hoping you will finish this mission as fast as you can. Naruto and your other friends have been busy with missions, too, and most of them still haven't returned from the most recent ones. Still, there is no time limit on this mission, so take as long as you need to kill these wolves and make sure the family stays safe."

"How troublesome. I have to go all the way to the Land of Snow and deal with you, Temari," Shikamaru complained, giving a heavy sigh. Temari leaned over and whacked the back of his head. Again.

"The man who hired you is named Genzi. You will find him at the docks tomorrow, 5 A.M. sharp, _Shikamaru_," the Hokage emphasized the lazy Chuunin's name, to make sure he got the point: no being late. "You are dismissed."

* * *

**Author's Note: ****My first real Naruto fanfiction. I hope you like it :)  
It's also dedicated to my fellow author, Iwannabeamongoose, a very kind fellow. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be writing this story. THANK YOU. ♥**


	2. The Family of Three

"This is extremely troublesome."

Shikamaru stretched and yawned as he walked next to Temari. It was four-thirty in the morning, and the sun had yet to rise above the horizon, and thus it was dark and quiet.

"Just be happy you had me to personally wake you up before you were late," Temari replied crossly. Still, Shikamaru could hear the cracking of tiredness in her voice, and grinned, mostly to himself.

"But, why half an hour earlier than necessary?" he whined, looking over at her. She was leading him in the general direction of the docks, and she grasped something in her hands as if her life depended on it. It looked like something wrapped in wax paper…

"Sorry about that, but I figured if we're going to be spending all day on a rocking boat we'd better have something in our stomachs to hold us over until lunch. Possibly even dinner," Temari replied, keeping her voice low to prevent other villagers from waking up.

Shikamaru stopped walking and gave Temari a weird look. "You cooked breakfast for me?" His mouth twitched and he barely managed to hold back his laughter. "That's out of character for you, Temari-chan."

"Do you want to eat, or not? You're lucky I even put you into consideration," Temari replied, waving the wrapped up food in his face. Shikamaru caught a whiff of something fishy, and his stomach rumbled with complaint.

Shikamaru nodded. "Alright, alright. Let's find somewhere to eat before we reach the shoreline. The smell of the ocean water always makes me lose my appetite…"

Temari smiled. "That's better. Got anywhere nice in mind?"

"Is this really necessary? We could just…"

"I want to sit while I eat."

"Tch." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and looked up at the stars, which were slowly starting to disappear as the sky began to be tickled with pink. "There's a big tree just before the docks, if you want to eat on it. We might be able to see our employer from there and keep track of the time, too."

Temari seemed to put it into consideration, and tapped her chin with her index finger. "When you put your mind to it, you really are smart."

"I thought you already knew that?" he replied, smirking.

"I did. Let's go, I'm starving!" Temari exclaimed, beginning to walk again. Shikamaru caught up to her and they walked side-by-side towards their destination. It only took about five minutes for them to reach the shady tree, and both ninja jumped up each branch until they were almost at the very top.

"This tree really is huge. I can see the docks clearly from here," Temari said as she handed Shikamaru his breakfast. He unwrapped it and leaned against the trunk of the tree, looking up at Temari, who was about two feet above him on a separate branch.

"There's many boats at the docks, considering how early it is," Shikamaru concluded, looking over at each boat as their captains tied their boats down or cleaned them. Men from a cargo boat at the deeper end of the docks were busy unloading boxes.

As he unwrapped his meal, the scent wafted up into his nostrils and he thought he almost melted. It smelled so good, and his stomach sure did agree. Temari had grilled pieces of fish and smothered them with white rice. As he took his first bite, Temari watched, and asked, "So, what do you think?"

Shikamaru took his time chewing and savoring the fish meat before he swallowed and wiped his mouth. "I've got to hand it to you, troublesome woman, you're not half bad at cooking. All's in order, I suppose."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "And what do you mean by that, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I've always compared you to my mother, and she's always been the cook in the family."

Temari paused before going back to her food. "Not all women are the cooks, you know. Tenten's father sometimes cooks when his wife comes home late from work." Temari had been staying with Tenten's family while she was visiting. Apparently the two of them were a lot closer than Shikamaru had realized. He was surprised – after all, it was Temari who had ruthlessly defeated Tenten way back when in the Chuunin exams. That was all far behind in the past, though.

Shikamaru didn't reply and instead finished up his meal. It was fantastic. Just as good as his mother cooked. It was smart of Temari to suggest that they eat breakfast before they embarked – surely this Genzi guy and his family would feed him, but probably not for breakfast. They would be to busy meeting each other and gathering information for the mission. And when Shikamaru sailed on an empty stomach, he got extremely queasy.

When they were done, Temari took the wax paper and stuffed them into a pocket, and they sat there for a couple minutes. "_Domo arigato_. Thank you very much, Temari. The meal was good."

The blonde girl waved a hand to stop him. "No trouble at all. I cooked the rice last night and the fish this morning. It would have been a shame to let the extra go to waste, right?"

"We still have a few minutes before 5. Shall we wait, or meet up with our ride?" he asked while sitting up. He lazily scratched at the back of his neck, a bored look on his face.

"Let's go ahead and look for Genzi," she replied, standing up on the branch. Shikamaru mirrored her and they descended from the tree, landing on the grassy ground without a sound. They began walking towards the docks, and within minutes they could hear the swirling of ocean waves and the shouts of sailors and villagers. There was one boat in particular at the left end of the dock, and a stout, solid man was standing in front of a medium-sized vessel. He wore loose clothes; a light blue shirt and simple white shorts that reached just a ways past his knees. His hair was black and his eyes were contrastingly bright green. He seemed like he was looking for someone.

"That must be him," Shikamaru perceived, nodding towards the middle-aged man. Temari agreed and they both went to him expectantly.

The man noticed them and immediately gave a goofy, lopsided smile. His voice was loud and excitedly booming, and reminded Shikamaru a bit of Uzumaki Naruto. "Ahhhh! You must be the Konoha ninja, no?" They both nodded. "Very well! I am Usura Genzi, a humble citizen of the Land of Snow! _Ikaga desuka? _How are you?"

Temari quickly bowed to the man. "We are just fine, thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Genzi. If Tsunade hasn't already told you, my name is Temari, and this lazy ninja next to me is Nara Shikamaru."

Shikamaru faked a smile, wishing Temari wouldn't call him lazy in front of their employer. Was that a very good idea? Genzi didn't seem to care as he quickly ushered them onto his boat, and a second later he was untying the ropes that harnessed the boat to the wooden dock.

"That quick?" Shikamaru queried, mostly to himself. "This is going to be troublesome!" Before he could remember his manners, Temari had already jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. As Shikamaru held his stomach in pain, Genzi hopped back onto the boat and ran across the bow of the boat and into the control room. About a minute later, the engine was sputtering as the ship flowed further and further away from Konoha. Genzi reappeared after turning the boat around, and invited them inside.

"Sorry for the rush, but we haven't any time to spare! I left our musk oxen to fend for themselves. Come inside and meet my family."

Shikamaru and Temari passed a short glance, and they wandered inside of the boat. It wasn't actually too small of a watercraft, as Shikamaru had been expecting. It was certainly big enough to push away some of the smaller ocean waves that would normally rock a smaller boat to its core. As they were led inside Shikamaru noted how neat everything was kept; no dirty dishes or clothes lying about, the floors were spotless, and even the door handles seemed to shine. Genzi was definitely not a bachelor.

"Aruki! Aruki, my sweet wife! We have set sail for home again, and our visitors are aboard!" Genzi shouted in a higher pitched voice. "Come out and meet them!"

They stood in the main room for a few seconds and listened as footsteps protruded from the hallway walls, and from an opening in the wall walked a tall woman clad in a simple, homely dress and apron. She was very tall and slim, even taller than Shikamaru. Even so, the brown-haired woman was dwarfed by her husband, and the two were almost opposites. Aruki was delicate and soft, while Genzi was much more jolly and strident. She also looked much younger than her husband, perhaps in her late twenties.

She greeted Temari and Shikamaru with a warm smile and bowed, her silky hair flowing over her face. "I'm am so glad to see you, ninja of Konoha! It is very much a relief. I hope to serve you well while you are staying with us."

Temari was about to reply when Genzi interrupted. "But where is Jerome, dearest?"

"Here I am, _Otou-san_!" came a voice behind Aruki. A small boy, maybe ten years of age, ran up to Genzi and held up an empty glass bottle. "Father, I am all out of sweet-milk! May I have more? Please?"

Genzi patted the boy's small, black-haired head. The boy was pale and skinny and wore a dark blue turtleneck shirt tucked into white pants. "Jerome, what have I said about drinking the sweet-milk? One bottle per day. Now, we have guests from Konoha! Greet them!"

Jerome turned his attention towards Shikamaru and Temari. He bowed and introduced himself as "Jerome, son of Genzi and Aruki, the greatest parents in the world". The boy looked back up at the too ninja, his eyes glittering. "Are you two really ninjas?"

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Sure are, little kid. We're here to protect you."

Jerome looked over at Shikamaru, and immediately his face pouted up. "You? You don't look very strong to me. Are you sure you're a ninja?"

Temari busted out laughing. "I like you, Jerome. You know a slob when you see one. That guy you're talking to is Shikamaru, and I'm Temari."

_This kid's a troublesome nuisance, _Shikamaru thought to himself, and he watched as Temari and Jerome hit it off right away. Genzi lumbered into another room nearby, hollering something Shikamaru couldn't hear, and Aruki excused herself to clean up the kitchen to accomodate their guests.

Yes, this was going to be a _long, _troublesome day.


	3. Whales

They were all gathered on the comfortable, wooden chairs located on the front of the boat. By now it had been at least an hour since they had set sail, and the sun was about half way into its great climb. Shikamaru sat hunched over his knees, his hands clasped together as he listened to everything Genzi and Aruki had to say. Temari sat in the chair next to him, and every few minutes she glanced over to look at Shikamaru's expression.

To begin with, Genzi had explained much about his homeland – according to him he was not a part of the Land of Snow's hidden village, or any village for that matter, and lived about five miles from the ocean shore in a lone cabin about twenty miles or so from the local town further inland. His main source of food, or life source, was the musk oxen herd that he had bred himself a few years earlier; also explaining the main reason why he had asked Tsunade for her assistance.

Apparently there was one wolf that had already taken two of their small musk oxen herd, and once it had even strayed to the front of the house while Genzi was outside. He had to run inside and grab his weapon before the wolf tore through his door and attacked him and his family. The wolf came back to his cabin about three times a week, sometimes during the middle of the night, and he always had swing harshly at it to chase it off, and sometimes he resorted to fire. What scared Genzi almost as much as the wolf's fearlessness was that the beast usually disappeared every time he came outside with a weapon. It had amazing speed and judgement.

"I also came to Konoha because I was in need of better weaponry. I also stocked up well on extra food and other supplies, so if the wolf ends up taking every last on of my musk oxen herd, my family would survive long enough to travel back to Konoha. If it came down to that," Genzi explained as he watched Aruki set a plate down full of sweet goodies on the small end table that had been moved in front of them.

"What made the wolf so eager to attack you?" Shikamaru asked curiously. He was examining each of the different varieties of sweets on the tray, which included hard candies and pastries. He took a jelly-filled pastry as he waited for Genzi's answer.

"That is also a very strange question. Its reasons for attacking my family are very much unknown." The pungent man also took a pastry and practically stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. Surprisingly enough, it fit inside his cheeks. Temari barely held up her straight face.

Shikamaru took a bite of his snack, too, but his mind was more focused on what Genzi had said.

After a moment of chewing and swallowing, he closed his eyes. Temari noticed and watched him, interested. She'd seen that face before - he was concentrating on something. Perhaps he was trying to think of the possibilities of why the wolf would recklessly attack a human? Still, there wasn't much enough information from Genzi to make any conclusions. They'd have to see firsthand before solving the mystery. So what was he concentrating on?

"…I'm kind of nauseous."

Temari's jaw dropped and she quickly lifted a hand to strike Shikamaru's head. He fell from his chair and onto the hard floor. "_Bakane_, don't do that! I thought you were thinking about our mission!"

Shikamaru still lay on the floor, holding his head. "You troublesome woman! C_hikushou,_ I hit my head… That was a stupid reason to hit me!" He slowly sat up and grabbed his chair, setting it upright again.

Then both Shikamaru and Temari remembered Genzi, and the looked over at him, slightly embarrassed. He blinked for a moment, and started to wheeze so loudly that it almost sounded like he was choking, not laughing. "That was the funniest thing I've seen in ages! You two remind me of my wife and I back in our younger days! Boy, Aruki used to hit me so hard that I would get splotches in my vision and be bruised for days…"

Arukie softly chuckled from the other end of the bow, pinching Jerome's shoulder as they stood together and listened in on the conversation. "I still whack him when he leaves his dirty dishes on the table, too," she announced.

There was the slightest of blush on Shikamaru's face and he sulked back into his chair, avoiding any eye contact with Temari. His dignity as a man had just withered away at the moment.

Temari sat back in her chair and laughed. "Shikamaru needs another woman like you, Aruki. Someone to push him around when he gets out of line."

Everyone laughed except for Shikamaru, of course, and soon the conversation led to simple, lighter things other than their mission. Aruki and Genzi began to tell Temari the story of how they met and how Aruki was his main motivation. Temari chatted a little about her younger brothers, and Shikamaru had already tuned out by then.

Jerome looked uninterested, too, and ran back inside of the boat. "I'm going to check the auto-pilot!" he exclaimed as he shut the door behind him. Apparently Genzi had taught the young boy how to drive the boat, probably for any future emergencies.

Shikamaru got up and excused himself, and walked inside of the boat. Maybe he should get to know Jerome more? The kid may have been a troublesome annoyance, but at least he wouldn't end up in a woman's chitchat. Shikamaru was _not_ in the mood for a woman's chitchat.

The boat's control room was just up a couple flight of stairs, and Shikamaru walked inside to see the boy grasping the smooth, pinewood steering wheel firmly. The black-haired little boy turned around, and noticing it was Shikamaru, he frowned.

"What do you want?" he asked, neither in friendliness nor in rudeness. Still, Shikamaru could tell that the boy was not happy to see him. The Chuunin shrugged it off.

"When did you learn to drive this ship?" he asked calmly, looking around the room.

Jerome turned back to the steering wheel and stared at the sea in front of them and did not answer at first. "Two years ago."

Shikamaru looked at the back of his head in surprise. "And how old are you?"

"I'm eleven. Father taught me how to control the boat when I was nine. I can't steer it during storms or when it's really windy, though," he snapped at first, and then calmed down as he finished.

Shikamaru nodded. Jerome was just a boy who hadn't even hit puberty yet. Once he was older and had the arm strength to do so, Genzi would probably allow him to steer under worse conditions. "Do you like it where you live? Having to sail so much would be too troublesome for me to bother with."

Jerome shrugged and wiped his brow. "I like it on the ocean." A blunt response, but good enough.

"_Jerome! Shikamaru! Come look!"_ came a voice from below. It was Genzi. Happy to get out of the conversation, Jerome quickly locked the boat's wheel so it would stay on course, and he pranced out of the room. Shikamaru sighed and soon after followed.

Out on the deck Jerome ran to his parents, and Aruki pointed out to the far seas. "A beautiful whale! Less than a mile away!"

Temari eye's widened as she watched a good-sized creature breach out of the dark water's surface and splash. She turned towards Shikamaru and waved him over. "You have got to see this! I've never seen anything like it before!"

He walked over to her right side and stared out into the water. Seriously, he didn't know what the big deal was, but it was making Temari really ecstatic. And when she was ecstatic, it was less likely for her to randomly hit him.

There was something about the way her teal eyes sparkled that made him forget about the whale.

The mammal was a dark color, almost black, and was easily seen despite its distance from the boat. Genzi, Aruki, and Jerome all held each other in a tight hug as a family, and finally as the boat drifted further and further and further away, they stopped watching it.

"We often see whales and porpoises when we travel overseas. They always make me so happy when I see them," Genzi explained to Temari and Shikamaru. Aruki nodded in agreement, as did Temari.

"That was the first time I have ever seen a whale in person before. It was amazing," she sang, practically dancing on her tiptoes. She turned towards Shikamaru. "Wasn't that cool? How often do you see a whale?"

Her enlightened mood managed to rub off on him, but he tried not to show it. Shoving his hands in his pocket, he tried to put on an "I-don't-care" expression and ended up failing rather miserably. Temari was just so dang happy and in the end he decided not to ruin her moment. "Not often," was all he replied with a grin.

Aruki clasped her hands together and spoke, "If you come inside, we've got some great pictures that we've been able to take over the years. I think you'd like them!"

Temari nodded. "That would be nice, I would like to see them, please!"

As they all went inside, Shikamaru thought he was finally going to have some time alone, possibly to watch the last of the clouds that he would be able to see. After all, the higher up Earth you voyage, the less clouds you would see.

His hopes got crushed when Temari grabbed his collar and dragged him inside.

* * *

Shikamaru had to admit; the pictures that Genzi and Aruki had taken during their time together were pretty awe-inspiring. Usually someone like Shikamaru would have no interest in such trivial things, but even he found himself drawn to the hundreds of pictures of whales, sharks, lightning storms, gigantic waves, flying fish, and even pictures of funny-shaped clouds. 

"That cloud looks like a cat," he remarked as he held up a certain picture of clouds. Temari, who was sitting next to him and sorting through her own set of snapshots, grabbed his picture and studied it.

"Looks like a dog to me," she replied, handing the picture back to him.

"Temari-chan, always so pessimistic and critical," Shikamaru sighed, leaning back in his chair. He looked over at her as she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I think you just described yourself!"

"Troublesome," he snickered, not wanting to continue with the argument. Temari was in a very happy mood and it all changed because of Temari's new fad with whales.

_She definitely must be PMSing._

"…And this picture we took when Jerome caught a seagull on his fishing rod," Genzi blabbered, holding up a small-framed picture of his son. Apparently a seagull had swooped down on his bait as he cast his line, and Jerome pulled back on the reel, only to get the hook stuck through the seagull's beak.

Jerome looked rather proud, and Temari praised him. "It takes someone with skill to catch a seagull on a fishing rod."

"It sure does! Aren't I amazing?" he squealed in delight, hopping up and down twice. Genzi patted his head, grinning from ear to ear.

"My son is an expert fisher!"

Shikmaru chuckled quietly and looked back down at all the pictures. There were so many… There were even pictures of Genzi and Aruki when they were much younger, and Jerome was not in their life yet. In several pictures it looked like they were in a totally different country.

_They must have money, _he thought to himself. _A nice traveling ship, plenty of time on their hands to see the world._

As he shifted through pictures he stopped on one in particular. There was Genzi and Aruki, and in the woman's arms was a newborn Jerome. Standing behind Genzi was an elderly man who was the spitting image of both Genzi and Jerome. Shikamaru figured it was Jerome's grandfather and Genzi dad. He had the same, husky build and the matching hair and eyes.

Shikamaru peered closer and noticed the eldest man wore something rather flashy – a necklace of some sort. It was a gold chain that held an amulet shining in pure gold, and clad into the middle was a dark green emerald.

He didn't get much of a glimpse of it because Genzi leaned over him and gently swiped the picture from his hands. "This is a very special picture. That was my father, Usuru Ploza, a great man. He died very soon after Jerome was born."

Shikamaru watched as Genzi stuffed the picture into a pocket and glanced towards Aruki. Husband and Wife passed a strange look, and Shikamaru stored that memory for any possible later use. After all, Shikamaru learned to remember every minor detail when it came to missions, even something as subtle as a passing glance.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Shikamaru and Temari were shown to their sleeping quarters. Each one got a separate room, which was fairly decent sized and had a window to look at the sea. The rooms were Jack and Jill style with a connecting bathroom, and Temari secretly grumbled to herself about that detail. Sharing a toilet with a man was bad enough, but sharing a toilet with Shikamaru? 

As the hosts bid their guests goodnight, Temari and Shikamaru both ran for the bathroom to try and get there first. Temari beat him. She teased him and shut the door behind her, locking it by both doorways so he couldn't get in.

When she relieved herself she took her time brushing her teeth and rinsing out her mouth. Afterwards she loosened the four hair bands and let her hair fall loose to get ready for sleep. After that, well, she purposely dawdled and made up excuses to keep Shikamaru waiting.

Over fifteen minutes passed and finally Shikamaru heard Temari unlock the door. He trudged inside and mumbled something about "troublesome women and their bathrooms", and as Temari snuggled underneath her comforter, she giggled quietly.

* * *

**Author's Note: By the way, the seagull story Genzi was talking about - it actually happened. I caught a seagull with a fishing pole. xD  
If you catch any spelling/ grammatical errors in my story, please let me know.**


	4. Home Sweet Home

When Shikamaru finally woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, and the boat was barely rocking; it felt like they had stopped moving. He stretched his stiff neck and realized how tired he must have been if he didn't move in his sleep. He didn't know why he'd be so tired… Then again, Temari did wake him up extra early yesterday.

He sat up, and that's when he realized there was someone else in his room.

"Temari, what the heck are you doing in here?!" Shikamaru practically shrieked, watching her as she lifted up his shirt, which was draped across the empty guest dresser. She ignored him and stared at the hole that was on his shirt's left shoulder sleeve.

"You realize you've got a gaping hole in your shirt, right?" she said, turning towards him and poking a finger through the ripped garment.

All he could really manage was a sigh. Still sitting upright on his bed, he asked, "We've stopped moving. Why?"

"We've landed port, Lazy. I came in to wake you up and that's when I looked over to see a hole in your sleeve."

"Holes happen."

Temari smiled and rolled her eyes. "You sure are something, Shikamaru. I'll have to sow this when we get to Genzi and Aruki's home. You can't go around walking in a shirt filled with holes. It's the freaking Land of Snow! Now get up and get dressed, the scenery out here is so gorgeous!"

She threw his shirt at him and stood up, then walked out of the room. Shikamaru put on his shirt over his naked chest, and then hopped off of his bed. His pants were lazily tossed on the floor, like he would have done at home. He picked them up and pulled them on, and then reached up to his hair. He must have really been tired last night, because he even forgot to let his hair loose for the night. Man, waking up at four-thirty in the morning really was a sin.

The shadow ninja wandered through the boats corridors until he reached the outside deck, and walked out to see Aruki and Temari watching Genzi and Jerome as they tied at least ten different buoyed ropes to the short dock. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around at the environment – they were in a small cove, obviously deep enough for a humble yacht, and the hilly land before them was covered in blankets of white snow and lots of dead, heavy trees. Even their branches leaned with the weight of more snow. Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow, and just, snow. To reiterate, there was so much snow that it blinded Shikamaru's eyes.

At least, that was what _he_ had thought. When he commented on the "enormous" amount of snow, Aruki put him in his proper place.

"Well, try coming here in the dead middle of winter! The snows of early fall will rarely reach past your knees," she explained, looking over at the vast landscape. Shikamaru mumbled the word "troublesome" at the thought.

By then the boat had been tied down to the wooden poles and they were ready to shove off. Genzi, Shikamaru, Temari, and Jerome helped carry boxes of the food and other supplies, while Aruki carried smaller bags of clothes. They walked off of the boat and Shikamaru got his first taste of their homeland.

For one thing, it was extremely cold. When Shikamaru had walked onto the boat's deck earlier, the cold air had shocked him at first, but as they began to tread through the ankle-deep snow, his feet and hands were quickly numb and he shivered to the bone. The cold was definitely going to take some getting used to.

The scenery wasn't all that big of a deal to Shikamaru; he admitted it was pretty and had its points, but he had always preferred a grassy, warm place where he could sit down and stare at the clouds all day and bask in the sunlight. There'd be no sitting in the snow or cloud gazing here.

Temari, of course, was having a happy-tantrum and was just absolutely loving the mountains and rolling hills and greenish-brown pine trees. Of course, she was probably used to the cold more so than poor Shikamaru, since the desert experienced dramatically low temperatures at night. She didn't seem to be shivering at all as she pointed at every single detail she could possibly pick out on – seriously, trees, animals, rocks, and probably individual snowflakes, Shikamaru thought he heard it all.

He still didn't understand the female mind and its weird vogues.

"Our cabin is just up north some ways, less than half mile. All of this we have walked so far, which would probably be a mile and a half, is all the property that we own. Our real estate stretches onward too, even after we reach our home," Genzi managed to blabber, despite his holding the heaviest of all the boxes, which was the box filled with his weapons.

"Half a mile to walk, still?" Shikamaru asked, trying his best not to whine. If it weren't for her heavy box, Temari would have so smacked him for being such a baby. She changed her mind about that though when she noticed how much he really was shivering. No doubt he was cold.

"Are you alright?" Aruki asked, apparently noticing as well. Her browned eyes reflected sincere concern, and Shikamaru quickly waved her sympathy away after he realized how much attention he was drawing to himself.

"Ah, don't worry about me. I'm alright," he said through chattering teeth. His unfortunate pink lips had turned purple. "The cold is troublesome, but I guess I'm getting used to it by now…"

Obviously a clenched lie, but Aruki let him be, as did Temari. Jerome rolled his eyes as he walked in-between his mother and father, obviously displeased with Shikamaru's efforts thus far.

Another ten minutes and they reached a small ravine, which had a sturdy bridge leading across to the other side. They took it, and Temari looked down at the snowy mini-valley below, thinking of how much different Suna and this country was. She liked the change – by now even Konoha was like a second home to her, but this place was unfamiliar territory and she was up for a challenge.

"We're almost there! It's just beyond this cluster of trees, and a in clearing!" Genzi hollered, and he sped up. Jerome giggled gleefully and hopped after him, and pretty soon they were all practically jogging towards the cabin in thoughts of hot tea, warm fires, and comfy fur blankets.

There hopes of warmth crashed through a window when suddenly a warning growl came from the right, Shikamaru and Temari reacted just in time to see a large, white animal charging at them with fangs bared. It was a wolf.

The canine was upon them in seconds, but the ninjas' reflexes were quick, and they had already dropped their boxes and pulled out their weapons. The wolf flew in the air in a jump towards Shikamaru, but he dodged in a flash.

The wolf, however, did not turn around to retaliate, but instead kept charging forward towards Genzi and his family. Temari was expecting that. The wolf was almost to them when a strong whirlwind sent it tumbling away across the snow. A few cuts slit into its body, mostly concentrated on its sides, but it also put a niche in its left ear.

It stood up and stared angrily at all five of the humans, and Shikamaru and Temari both prepared to attack again. They stopped however when they saw the wolf's yellow eyes start to glow blue, and as hard as it was for them to imagine, the wolf began to speak.

"_Take your leave now or be prepared to die."_

And as quickly as it had come, the white wolf turned tail and ran off across the snow, disappearing out of sight through trees and rocks.

Shikamaru watched it leave, and waited a couple of seconds before turning his attention to Temari, to see if she was all right. She was, as well as Genzi, Aruki, and their son.

"So, was that your wolf buddy?" Shikamaru asked, raising a brow. Genzi meekly nodded.

* * *

The thoughts of the wolf were nullified when they reached the wooden home. It took a couple hours for Genzi to get them settled into their rooms and show them around the house and a little bit outside. There was a large musk oxen pen just out back of the house that enclosed about eleven of the beasts. There was also a little creek that ran through it, giving the musk oxen a perfect place to drink. It was pretty cool how Genzi had thought ahead. Room wise, Jerome was moved to Aruki and Genzi's room on the floor, and Aruki changed the sheets in Jerome's place, so Shikamaru and Temari could have separate rooms. Temari took the guest bedroom and Shikamaru took Jerome's room. 

A while later and the two of them were sitting next to a fire, much to Shikamaru's delight. Aruki went right to work making a hot drink to warm them all up, and as she handed it to each them, she smiled, her hands clasped together.

"Thank you. We would more than likely have been killed today," she said softly, her eyes clouding over with grief just thinking about it. "The wolf has never attacked us so openly before…"

Temari watched fear seize the woman and her hands began trembling, and the blonde-haired girl quickly put her drink aside and stood up to meet Aruki at eye-level. "Aruki, don't worry anymore. Shikamaru and I here to take care of things. Your family is safe now."

Shikamaru, still wrapped in a blanket and sitting on the couch, watched in sympathy as Aruki burst into tears. The emotions must have built up in the small woman so much that she just couldn't hold it in anymore. He turned his attention to Temari as she grabbed the woman's hands, her teal eyes soft and understanding. That was another thing he didn't understand about women – once they grew out of their prissy school-girl ages, they never stopped comforting each other when the times came down to it. When one woman was in trouble, the rest of her species swarmed over to her like an army of ants. Why couldn't Temari ever understand Shikamaru like that? Instead, she was always hitting him.

"Aruki, I promise that I will protect you, Genzi, and Jerome with my life. And I know Shikamaru will too, even if he seems like a lazy, good-for-nothing crybaby. He always manages to comes through," Temari explained, looking over at the man sitting down. He blinked back at her, saying nothing for a couple of moments, and then he threw off his blanket and stepped up next to Temari. He surprised her when he enclosed her hand with his own and he lifted their clasped hands up in front of Aruki.

"It's an oath," he said quietly, a serious frown on his face. "No matter how troublesome it may be, I won't be a coward and run away."

Temari smiled at Shikamaru, proud of him, for once. Aruki looked so relieved as she wiped her tears away and lifted up her chin. "Thank you so much! I just know we will all be safe with you two here."

With her spirits soaring, Aruki excused herself and headed towards her room to tuck Jerome in and go to sleep herself, and Temari and Shikamaru were left alone, still standing. And, still holding hands.

The warmth of his strong hand felt like it would creep up Temari's arm, and it gave her goose bumps. She was surprised at the way she reacted; this was Shikamaru she was thinking of!

Shikamaru released his grip on her hand and slumped back down into the couch. "This is troublesome. I didn't expect talking wolves and crying women." He stared into the crackling fire to the right of the couch, the redness of it reflecting in his eyes.

Temari sat down next to him and reached for her drink, taking a quick sip. "I'm rather proud of you, Big Boy. You seem to know what it takes to calm a crying woman."

Shikamaru shrugged and replied sarcastically, "I am a lady's man, after all. Women come crying to me all the time about one thing or the other."

Temari scoffed and lifted her arm, ready to slap him, and she stopped when he flinched. He must have been expecting to be hit. She smiled and let out a quiet laugh, then settled back into the couch. She would spare him the pain for now.

For a while they just stared at the fire in silence and sipped on their tea. Every once in a while bumping and shifting could be heard from elsewhere in the house, and soon it was silenced, telling the two that everyone else was asleep. Shikamaru knew it was an appropriate time to discuss the wolf from earlier.

Temari must have thought the same exact thing, because before he could say a word, she asked him, "What kind of wolf could that possibly have been? It looked real enough. I even left scratches on him."

"It was definitely a real wolf. There was even droplets of blood left in the snow, even if they were small and scattered. If it was a clone of some sort the blood would have disappeared when the clone disappeared," Shikamaru pointed out. He looked over at her to see she was climbing underneath the blanket he was using, so she had scooted closer to him. As they shared a blanket, Shikamaru felt the slightest churning in the pit of his stomach.

"I wonder if it is another ninja's partner. Like Kiba and his Akamaru. Or maybe it was summoned, like Pakkun," she voiced, and then took a sip of her tea. "That might explain its fearlessness towards humans, and the talking."

Shikamaru shook his head. "I think that was some other sort of jutsu, and not a summoning type. Did you notice how its eyes changed from yellow to blue? I think someone or something else is associated with this wolf. And that's as far as we can jump with conclusions…"

Temari nodded, and sipped the last of her tea. "I'm tired."

Shikamaru set his cup down and settled back into the couch. "I think I'm going to sleep out here, next to the fire."

Temari quickly poked his shoulder. "That's what I had planned on doing. You're going to have to move, because I'm sleeping on this couch."

Shikamaru yawned and snuggled his head on the armrest of the couch. "Sorry, Temari of the Desert. I am not moving."

"Fine," was all Temari said, and she snuggled into the left side of the couch. Neither of them was going to back down. Temari tugged on the blanket to pull some over herself, and caused Shikamaru to lose some of his side. He tugged back on it, only to have it pulled away yet again.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and smiled after whispering, "Troublesome woman."


	5. A Wolf Uses Ninjutsu?

Shikamaru's eyes fluttered open. He was still lying across the couch, and the blanket was neatly tucked around his shoulders. The fire had since died out and was nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash. Throwing his blanket off, he rubbed his face and noticed that Temari was already up and at 'em. In the background he heard Jerome's laughter, Temari speaking, and wood chopping.

It was not surprising that Shikamaru had slept in again.

But the boy's mind quickly wandered elsewhere, and he jumped off of the couch like a lion randomly springing from the weeds. He practically ran towards the front door and opened it, to see everything perfectly normal. The smell of cooking bacon and warm milk told him that Aruki was grilling breakfast. Genzi was chopping more firewood a few meters away from Temari and Jerome, who were having an intense battle of rock-paper-scissors. Yes, normal indeed.

Temari heard the door close, and she looked up to greet Shikamaru, only to replace her smile with a frown. He looked way too serious and unhappy. Eh, well, more so than usual.

He took long strides towards Temari's side and ended up pulling her just a little ways from Jerome, much to the little boy's irritation. "Hey, Temari, what are you all doing playing out here while I'm asleep?"

"What do you mean, Lazy? You're the one that slept in," Temari retorted, placing a hand on her hip and giving that look she only ever gave Shikamaru.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. It's dangerous. All of you could have gotten ambushed out here and I would have been too busy snoring on the couch to have noticed."

When hearing what the problem was, Temari softened up her gaze and took her hand off of her hip. "So that's what your problem is? You're worried?"

He didn't answer at first and he tried to hide the fear that was coming off of him in waves. But he didn't want to lose to Temari, so he evenly replied, "I don't want to be responsible for my Hokage's death because I didn't protect you."

Temari understood him completely, even though he wasn't telling the whole truth. It wasn't just Gaara's threat that was bothering him; Shikamaru was a cautious ninja and took all of his responsibilities seriously, especially when they involved the lives of others. Despite his façade, Temari saw through it, and it was just enough to make her smile; he really was reliable when motivated.

However, she quickly waved a hand in front of his face and said, "Hello, Shikamaru? Don't forget that I am a Jounin and I've saved your butt before. Nothing will happen while you are sleeping in late, and even if it did, I would be here to take care of the family and myself."

When he looked away with a pout, obviously not satisfied, Temari sighed and paused to think for a moment. Within seconds she had a better idea and her eyes sparkled as she lifted her right hand in a fist and held out her pinky.

"Alright, Big Boy. Listen up; I already trust you, despite your below average skill that is inferior to mine. But if we're going to do this mission properly, you're going to have to trust me. So, do you trust me?" Temari watched him as he stared down at her pinky, as if to think hard about the decision. Then, slowly but surely, he lifted his right hand and eventually wrapped his pinky finger around hers, and they shook on their second oath.

"Whatever," was all he said, a huge smirk plastered on his face. He looked much more relieved, the tension disappearing from his shoulders. "You're a troublesome woman, Temari. Don't forget that I had to save your butt, too, back in the day."

"A lot has changed since then, though, hasn't it?" she replied, letting go of his pinky and glancing back at Jerome. The child looked impatient as he waited for his new friend to come play with him again. She looked back at the younger man next to her. "Still, I agree with you. We need to get some work done today. Poor Tsunade-sama is low on available ninja. And I need to get back to my paperwork as an ambassador."

Itching to get the job done, Shikamaru nodded. "Let's tell Genzi we're going, then. I want to get back to my cloud gazing."

Temari rolled her eyes and dragged Shikamaru along they walked over to Genzi. The strong-willed man was fiercely whacking down on the wood branches with his ax, until they were the right size for the fireplace. His warm breath was creating condensation in the air like smoke. When he saw the two foreigners heading his way, he stopped his work and wiped his furrowed brow, giving them a happy grin from ear-to-ear. "_Ossu_, Shikamaru! Glad to see you awake!"

Shikamaru returned the greeting, and afterwards got down to business. "Temari and I are hoping to look around on your land some, to see if we can find any traces of the wolf. We won't stray more than five miles from the cabin in case of trouble. How's that sound?"

Genzi nodded. "Sounds perfect. Let me run inside and get you some supplies. You're going to need them." Eagerly, he pounded his way back inside of his house, and a minute later he was back outside with two small packs in his hands.

He handed them each a pack and explained what was inside of them. He mentioned dry food, water, a map, and emergency supplies – the essentials. "Don't you think I should come with you, though?" he asked a moment later. The uncertainty was displayed on his face.

Shikamaru noticed that Aruki had stopped cooking and had set the table. She and Jerome were watching the three of them intently. "Temari and I will take care of the wolf; you should stay here and protect your family. The wolf may expect this and attack you while you're all alone."

At first they thought Genzi was going to insist on coming with them, but to their relief he simply nodded his head and did not bring it up again. "Very well. Make sure to come back before dark; the nights get cold enough to freeze you to death if you don't find shelter... But before you go, you should fill up your bellies, no?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Temari said, looking over at Shikamaru, who was already heading towards Aruki's table of breakfast.

_The guy sure loves his home cooking,_ the blonde thought to herself. _He doesn't realize it yet, but he really is into a woman's touch, no matter how troublesome he calls it._

* * *

An hour later, Temari and Shikamaru were leaving the family of three and were walking together in the cold snow. They hadn't been walking probably more than ten minutes, and his toes were already freezing. 

"I hate the snow. It's like blankets of frozen clouds," he grumbled, trudging his feet through the solid water. He was still in his holey green-black shirt and vest, and had proudly refused Aruki's offer for a heavy winter jacket. Still, Aruki persisted on giving him something warmer, and he ended up with a shoal-like blanket.

Temari had refused the jacket offer, too, but as of yet she had not complained about the cold. She enjoyed listening to Shikamaru's quibbles, as much as it surprised her, and the rosy cheeks and bright red nose were a good look to Shikamaru's face.

"You make me laugh," she said quietly. The joy she got from his expense was apparent, but Shikamaru pretended not to notice.

They walked on in silence, Shikamaru grumbling about the cold every few minutes, and occasionally even Temari would break the silence to point something out in the scenery. As they were walking, Shikamaru looked over at Temari and contemplated something. Well, a lot of things.

"So who's doing all of your ambassador stuff while you're gone on this mission?" he asked breathlessly, almost having tripped over a root that was buried underneath the snow.

Temari replied with a chuckle, "This year has been really slow. I didn't have much paperwork to begin with, and as soon as I found out I was going on this mission, I got all of my paperwork done and handed it in to Tsunade. From here on out Gaara will send anything important to Konoha via guarded messengers. I presume, at least."

Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding and instinctively looked up at the clear sky. No clouds… It made him rather depressed to be in a place that didn't have many clouds. Shikamaru was just the cloudy sort of guy.

"I've got another question: What made you volunteer yourself to be an ambassador for Konoha?"

This made Temari throw her gaze downcast, and she was silent for a second.

"Practice. Something new. A favor to my baby brother. And friends," she slowly replied after thinking hard about it.

Shikamaru blinked and looked over at her curiously. "Friends?" he echoed, raising a brow. "Friends as in…"

"As in Tsunade-sama, Tenten, Sakura, and even Naruto or Kiba can manage to make me laugh," she replied, almost too quickly. Seeing the skeptical look Shikamaru was giving her, she reached over and smacked him upside the head. He had flinched and expected to be hit much harder, but surprisingly she had held back on some of her force.

"Besides," she continued, "I told you two years ago that if something bad ever happened again I would come and save you. It would make my job much easier if I was already in Konoha, Lazy."

Shikamaru laughed.

* * *

Several hours passed, and it was nearing the late evening. The sky was still blue but in another couple of hours it would be completely dark out. Shikamaru and Temari had scouted in circles and always kept within a close range to the cabin. Still, they did not find a single trace of any enemy. Every once in a while a wild rabbit or fox would be stirred by the humans' movements and would run off and hide somewhere secluded. But no wolf was in sight. 

They had stopped to eat about mid-day, too, but they were already starting to feel twinges of hunger gnaw at their bellies again. When the first signs of dark came, that was when they decided to call it quits.

"Alright, let's head back. We'll have to find another way to lure the wolf to us," Shikamaru stated. By now the hours of walking and slinking around in trees had warmed up his body and he wasn't as cold as earlier. Still, he shivered every once in while and Temari would watch him with a keen expression on her face.

"I agree, Pineapple-head. This was a pretty useless day," Temari complained, turning around in her tracks towards the Usura home. "I've got in mind a warm fireplace and a comfy couch."

"Not if I can beat you to it," Shikamaru barked, speeding up to get ahead of Temari.

The rivals began their trek back in a jog, each one trying to inch past the other. They didn't realize, though, that they were being watched.

A white wolf with a niche in left ear growled as it watched the two teenagers with a lust for blood in its yellow eyes. It could tell by the way they held themselves and gasped for breath that they were cold, tired, and hungry. And obviously unsuspecting of the wolf's presence.

As they headed further into the distance, the wolf ran from his concealment and swiftly shifted from tree to tree, purposely speeding up gradually so it could be at their backs without being noticed. When he was just yards away, his luck ran out.

The both of them had already sensed a presence as soon as the wolf began its pursuit behind them, and they each had passed each other a warning look through eye contact. Then as the wolf was closer and closer, both ninja jumped opposite ways into nearby trees.

The wolf skidded to a halt and snarled in anger – it had been noticed after all. With a defiant attitude, the wolf did not try to escape, and looked from the right, where Temari had hopped away, and then to the left, where Shikamaru had pranced.

It turned towards Shikamaru's tree and ran full force, tongue lolling to the side and dripping saliva. From the lower branches of the tree, Shikamaru watched as the wolf did not falter in speed and opened its jaws to reveal huge, yellow-stained canines. It swiped its teeth at the trunk of the gray tree, and moments later the whole tree had collapsed in itself and was on the ground in a heap. Shikamaru had hopped out of the branches in time to land on the ground just feet away, unharmed.

_This wolf has yet to use any sort of Ninjutsu, but that last attack definitely consisted of chakra. No normal wolf could have blown through the trunk of a tree with its jaws alone, _the Nara boy concluded. _Perhaps this animal prefers Taijutsu._

Which would make his job easier, considering his Shadow Bind Technique could only reach as far as the shadow's surface area. As for Temari, she might be able to pull it off, but it would be troublesome for her if the wolf dodged her attacks and came up too close.

Temari was thinking the same thing as she watched the wolf stare at Shikamaru, a dark gleam in its orbs. She glanced over at Shikamaru to see if he had a plan; he returned her look and nodded at her fan, telling her to make the first move. He wanted to judge the creature's intelligence and physical advantages, and Temari's fan would be almost perfect.

With a smile at the thought of some action, Temari reached behind her and clutched her fan. As the wolf began to charge at Shikamaru, the woman swiped her heavy fan in her infamous Cutting Whirlwind technique, and the controlled winds buffeted snow as it raced towards the moving wolf.

The white canine's ears flicked and it dodged Temari's attack just in time to escape much harm, though the whirlwind had sliced a small wound on his leg as he had jumped away. The wolf recovered from her attack and it did not hesitate in retaliating. Turning its attention towards Temari, it parted its jaws and ran towards her with abnormal speed.

Shikamaru watched with wide eyes as the wolf's eyes turned blue again, like they had when they first fought it. He could faintly hear its voice again as it spoke, "_God's Release: Gift of Speed_."

Then, both he and Temari could do nothing as the wolf's body glowed blue with excess chakra, and its abnormal speeds had only doubled in earning. In a split second the wolf had reached Temari as she tried to jump away, and its teeth sliced a gash into her right leg. She cried out in pain as she landed on the ground and tumbled away, leaving trails of crimson blood behind her.

Shikamaru's heart stopped as he had witnessed the scene, and he wasted no time in pulling out a kunai and tossing it towards the wolf to keep it at bay from Temari. The sharp-edged weapon pierced its shoulder and it howled in pain from the impact. It did not, however, falter in any way.

Both human and animal ran towards each other with intent on killing; Shikamaru pulled out another kunai, and the white wolf parted its killer jaws. Temari watched from the ground, grimacing as she held her open lesion.

The two reached each other and the wolf easily beat Shikamaru to the punch, compressing its jaws around his left shoulder. But a moment later, a clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the real Shikamaru jumped out of his hiding spot and threw three kunai into the animal's chest.

_Success, _the Konoha Chuunin thought himself as the wolf stumbled to the ground. It didn't take much longer and soon the creature took its last breath and lay dead on the ground, a pool of blood seeping out of its wounds and melting into the snow as one.

Shikamaru didn't care about the wolf.

His mind was racing with guilty, fearful thoughts as he looked over at Temari, and he was at her side right away. There was blood everywhere. As Shikamaru examined her leg briefly, he clenched his teeth. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was big, and if she didn't get it treated properly, Temari would surely die of blood loss. They were out there in the middle of nowhere, though, and Shikamaru tried not to panic.

"Temari, I'm sorry!" he said throwing his pack off of his back. He shuffled through it, all the while mumbling apologies and harsh swear words. Temari managed a weak grin.

"It's not that bad. I can still walk," she lied, trying to stand up. She miserably failed as soon as she put pressure on her right leg, and fell to her butt with a sharp gasp.

"Stop trying to move," Shikamaru ordered, pulling out wrapping bandages. Medical-wise that was really all they had. Using a gentle touch, he started wrapping the bandages tightly around the wound, ignoring the suppressed wails of agony from Temari. When the cut was completely covered, he looked at Temari with sullen eyes.

"I'm sorry, Temari," he said desperately, crushing a fistful of snow between his fingers.

"Wasn't your fault," she replied breathlessly.

"No, next time I'll gamble with my own life. I made you go up against an unknown enemy when I didn't have enough information on him! And because of me, you got hurt!"

Temari shook her head, scoffing at him. "Don't be ridiculous! The whole point in me attacking it was so we could get information, right? Besides… Who made you team leader? As a Jounin, _I_ should be responsible for _your_ life, not the other way around. Now help me up, you useless crybaby!"

After all of that, Temari still had her spunk. She always had spunk, even when she was hurt. Shikamaru guessed that was how all troublesome girls were. Either way, she had just made Shikamaru smile and feel better, and he crawled over to her right side. She flung her arm around his neck, and they both stood up together.

It was too much for Temari's bruised leg, and she couldn't contain the sharp intake of breath, or stop her nails from digging into Shikamaru's shoulder. That was when Shikamaru sat her back down and crouched in front of her.

"I'll carry you back to the house," he said simply.

Too full of pride, Temari used his shoulder as support and lifted herself back up on her own two feet. "There's no way I am letting you carry me. I can walk just fine on my own."

She stepped forward and actually made it a few feet with a limp, but Shikamaru sighed as her injured leg hopelessly gave out and she flew back into the soft, cold snow beneath her. She looked over at Shikamaru with a frown.

"Fine. See if you can carry me _and _my fan."

Shikamaru's eyes twitched as he looked over at the folded weapon that had been reattached to her back. "As a man I have a duty to take care of you, troublesome woman. No matter what I will carry you and your damned fan back to Genzi and Aruki's home before you bleed to death."

Once again he walked over and crouched in front of her, and this time Temari accepted the offer and wrapped her arms around his neck, while Shikamaru lifted her by the legs. He almost fell over from all of the weight, but he managed to stand up.

With one last look at the dead wolf, Shikamaru half walked, half ran in the direction of the cabin.

* * *

Shikamaru was still traveling like he was on a mission, and technically, he was. However, this was much more than a mission to Shikamaru, because both Temari's and his own life was on the line. 

By now, the sun had almost set completely, and Shikamaru savored the last few minutes of whatever sunlight he had left. In moments it would be pitch black and he and Temari were sure to die.

It was freezing. Shikamaru had since wrapped Temari up in his shoal and she was beginning to doze off. They were both exhausted, especially Shikamaru, but of course he could not take any time to rest. They had to get home, and they had to get home _now_.

"_Doko desuka? _Where is it? _Chikushou, chikushou, chikushou!_ I'm freezing my ears off out here!" Shikamaru cursed under his breath, squinting through the darkness.

He could feel shadows all around him, the presence of other living things, but there was no way in heaven that he was going to be able to stop to check things out. His spine tingled with apprehension as he could have sworn that there were eyes hiding in the darkness, watching him as he hopelessly wandered through the snow. Was he ever going to get Temari to safety?

Shikamaru was about to give up all of his remaining hope, when something in the near distance caught his eye. A bright, orange light lifted into high into the sky, and illuminated the air for a few seconds before sputtering out and dying as it floated towards the ground.

Genzi had lit a flare.

* * *

"They should have been back by now! I'm going to fire a signal," Genzi yelled as he ran outside with small device in his hand. 

Aruki watched from inside with a frown as her husband shot the flare straight up into the snowy sky, and the colorful gunpowder blinded her for a moment.

_Please… Be safe!_

* * *

Shikamaru ran as best as he could, clutching onto Temari, and dodged trees and shrubs in his pathway. Ten minutes ago, Genzi had just shot a flare, and it more than likely saved both of their lives. Now Shikamaru knew the way home. 

"Don't die, Temari," Shikamaru shouted, but the girl on his back did not stir as the snowflakes piled into her hair. Her bandages were soaked with blood and some of it had even trickled down her foot and landed on Shikamaru's pant leg.

Then, Shikamaru's eyes flooded with relief as the dark shape of the cabin came into his eyesight. In his haste, he tripped over a rock, but he did not lose balance and eventually had run into Genzi as the man had faithfully stood outside for their return.

Shikamaru had just barely made it. But would Gaara have Tsunade-sama's head after all...?


	6. Warm Thighs

They had placed Temari on the couch, her head next to the fire, and wrapped her body up in thick blankets. Aruki started to cook up a hot, meaty stew and Genzi had elevated Temari's leg, putting pillows underneath it to help prevent any more blood loss. Shikamaru had discarded the crimson-soaked bandages from earlier and was busy cleaning her cut while she was basically blacked-out.

Jerome had woken up during all the fuss, and his big brown eyes bulged with worry when he saw Shikamaru carry Temari into the cabin. They were covered with snow, and Shikamaru looked like a frozen human Popsicle. Shikamaru's face was enough to scare a newborn infant; he looked much more worried and frightened than even his mother, Aruki. And that was what had made Jerome cry.

"Is Temari dead?" the boy screamed, running over to clutch Genzi's leg. The man had simply patted the boy's head and ushered him to Aruki, who lifted him with her outstretched arms and carried him back to their room. And that was when the two men got to work on warming, cleaning, and watching over Temari.

"So what happened?" Genzi had asked when they both sat down on chairs next to the fire. The Usura head watched the young adult as he fiddled his thumbs and stared into the fire.

"We killed the wolf," he said simply, not even glancing at Genzi. "It had managed to bite at Temari's leg before she could get away, pretty much."

"And you're not hurt? How did you get lost with a map?"

Shikamaru's cheeks crinkled with a smile. "I thought about the map at one point, and Temari's bag was the one that held it. That's when we realized she didn't have her bag because she had slipped it off when the battle began, so it wouldn't catch on trees and bushes. I didn't think about retrieving her bag until we were lost in the dark…"

Genzi shook his head with a playful smile. "And you're not hurt?" he asked again, a hint of worry in his tone.

Shikamaru's belly flip-flopped as he looked over at Temari's flushed face, her cheeks illuminated with the glowing fire. For a reason Genzi did not understand, the Nara boy's spirit's dropped and he wistfully replied, "_No_."

* * *

Temari awoke to a dull ache in her wrapped leg. She blinked softly, feeling sweaty and hungry, and looked over to see Shikamaru staring at her. He wasn't wearing his normal attire and had been given a skin-hugging nightshirt and the smallest pair of shorts Genzi had - which were still actually rather big on Shikamaru. 

"You're finally awake," he whispered. There was a smart-alecky smirk plastered on his face and he proudly asked her, "Now who's the lazy one?"

Temari sat up and reached over to smack his forehead.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, looking down at her bandages. The pain was definitely not as bad as compared to earlier, and there was very little blood that had stained the bandages.

"You were more like passed out cold. Some blood loss and hours in the freezing winds will do that to you," Shikamaru replied with a sigh. She had missed the looks of relief just a few moments earlier when he first saw her stir and awaken. "You just broke out of your fever and your leg has stopped bleeding. It's been several hours."

Temari chewed on the side of her lip and Shikamaru stared at the fire; everything was quiet for about a minute. Then Shikamaru abruptly stood up and asked, "You hungry?"

"Starving. Get me some food, Lazy," Temari said with a grateful smile. She watched as he turned away and tiptoed into the dark kitchen, and she couldn't help but think about Shikamaru's face when he saw her on the ground, hurt, or the way his strong, warm shoulders had carried her when she was helpless. She even thought of how her kimono had to be hiked up just a ways so she could wrap her legs around Shikamaru, just above his waist, and his hands had clutched her thighs like his life had depended on it. Despite her injury and being lost in the middle of nowhere, Temari had never felt safer.

It was lucky for Temari that her fever had already made her face flushed, because her cheeks had started burning immensely. It only worsened when she saw Shikamaru walking back with a white bowl in his hands, and a pair chopsticks in the other. He crouched down in front of her and handed the food to her, and her mouth watered when the smell hit her nostrils. As she grabbed at the bowl eagerly, she felt her fingers brush Shikamaru's knuckles, and she felt sparks of electricity that sent shivers down her spine.

She had never, ever gotten such hormonal feelings for Shikamaru before, and she could only wonder what that spark of electricity could end up leading to. Temari had mixed emotions as she wolfed down the beef and veggie stew, not at all oblivious to Shikamaru's unfaltering stare.

When she was done, Shikamaru put her bowl away and sat back down on his chair, scooting it closer to his ally. He was about to speak when Temari raised a hand up and stopped him. She was going to have the first say in the matter.

"Thank you, Shika."

Shikamaru stared at her with a puzzled expression. Not only had she just called him a pet name, but also she was actually admitting defeat. "Thank you? You, Temari of the Desert, are thanking me for saving your life because you were completely incapable of doing so yourself?"

Temari literally bit her tongue to stop herself from beating the crap out of the guy both verbally and physically. Instead she frowned and merely blinked slowly in reply. "We of Suna are honorable and take our debts seriously. The simple fact is you saved two lives in one; both myself and your Hokage."

They both could not hold up their serious face, and laughed as quietly as they could. Once again they hit a lull and they just stared at each other, the effects of the joke still lingering as their faces shone with humor. But Shikamaru watched as Temari frowned again and she looked over at her fan, which had been recklessly tossed near the door when they had first arrived home.

"You must be sore from carrying my dead weight…"

"Yeah. You're pretty fat, troublesome woman." When he saw the look on her face, he regretted having said that and quickly looked away. "Err, just joking."

Temari rolled her eyes and sighed.

Shikamaru surprised her when he looked down at his feet and clenched his teeth. "Actually, Temari, you scared the living muffins out of me…" he said quietly, his whole image practically drooping to the floor.

Temari did not like seeing him so down-in-the-dumps, and subconsciously she reached over and patted the back of his hand. Immediately she regretted it; once again her hormones kicked in and suddenly the warmth and every detail on Shikamaru's hand became apparent to Temari, and she could see every slow curve of his body. From his heavy shoulders to his shaped chest, from his small waist all the way down to his ugly pinky toe, Temari saw it all.

Shikamaru stiffened as Temari's delicate touch pierced through his hand, and he suddenly felt very vulnerable. He looked up at Temari, who seemed to be studying his every feature, and he stared at her pretty bluish-green eyes. They reminded him of home, the stars that he would risk his life to see when his mother had told him to be home before dark to wash the dishes. Those stars were worth all the flying projectiles and violent smacks from Yoshino once he wandered home.

"I'm glad you didn't die, Temari," Shikamaru breathed, feeling a rush of excitement that no life-threatening fight could ever give him. He watched the firelight dance in her eyes, and for once in his life, Shikamaru had found something he enjoyed more than a game of Shogi or cloud watching, or even training with Chouji.

Temari squeezed his hand before letting go and sitting back in the couch's cushions, feeling her cheeks burn as hot as the roaring fire next to them. There was awkward silence and glances, and lots of tension.

It was then that Temari had thought about the wolf from earlier, and she gave Shikamaru a serious look.

"So what have you gathered about our enemy?"

Shikamaru had forgotten as well, and his eyes broke out of their cloudy gaze. He drummed his fingers on his knee and scratched his chin. "That wolf was the same one that we had first met. It had the same chip in its ear that you had given it."

Temari nodded - she had noticed that, too. "It used a weird technique to attack me. Did you hear it speak again?"

"'God's Release: Gift of Speed'. That was a technique that obviously would require some hand signals," Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Someone else is behind this whole thing. There was someone watching the battle. There had to have been someone who had performed the hand signals for the jutsu. It's probably how the wolf was able to speak, too. The wolf was evidently not a summoning and therefore more than probably has a human partner that it shares its chakra with, like in the case of Kiba and Akamaru. I don't think this battle is over, but our mission _was_ to kill the wolf that has been causing the problems here. Nothing more. I guess this means we can go home."

Temari shook her head. "If Genzi, Aruki, and Jerome are still in danger, I can't just leave them after all they've done for me in such a short period of time. I won't leave unless they make me leave."

It was Shikamaru's turn to shake his head. Under his breath, he muttered, "Troublesome women and their compassion." He stretched back on his wooden seat and let out a huge, rude yawn, the tiredness leaking out of his every bone and muscle and organ.

Temari could see it and her eyes revealed her soft spot. "You're exhausted. Did you sleep at all?"

He shook his head. "Never left this chair…"

"Well, what time is it?" Temari asked, a bit bewildered.

"Something like three-thirty, four in the morning."

Now Temari genuinely understood that Shikamaru really _was_ scared today, if he would skip out on his precious sleeping time just to sit in a chair next to Temari. She could only imagine how long the poor Konoha-ninja was sitting helplessly in the chair, waiting for her to wake up. "Well, get to bed, Stupid. You're exhausted. I bet your shoulders and arms are killing you."

Shikamaru smirked and stood up. "Yeah."

"Goodnight," Temari quietly said, lying down on the couch with her hands folded beneath her cheek. She watched him as he turned around and headed towards the hallway that led to Jerome's room.

"Night," he replied smoothly, giving her a last side-glance and disappearing behind a wooden door.

"Guess this means I get the couch and the fire tonight," Temari whispered to herself with a content smirk, and she snuggled into the blankets and closed her eyes.

It was the first time Shikamaru had been into Jerome's room, but he was too tired and distracted to give a crap. Immediately he stripped himself of his clothes, except for his boxers, and he plunged on top of the cold bed. He stared across the room at the door, wondering how he was ever going to sleep. Thoughts of Temari swirled in his brain and they never left, even after he ended up drifting off into a deep sleep. He dreamed of cold snow, white wolves, warm thighs, and two eyes sparkling with the glow of a fire.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope I did not suffocate you with the corny fluff of this chapter. It'd be a darn shame if my fans died of suffocation before they could finish reading my story! xD**


	7. Men Are Afraid to Admit They Are Afraid

They all slept in late, but for once, Shikamaru had woken up before Temari. To his glee and satisfaction, he was going to hold that against her as soon as she opened her eyes for the day. It wasn't often that he had such golden moments to rub into her face.

Temari had slept in all until the smell of breakfast woke her up. She almost didn't want to get up out of her comfy spot on the couch, and she was really savoring the warmth underneath her blankets. Her stomach, however, had won the fight as it growled loudly and begged for food. Thus, she slowly stood up and tested out her injured leg.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't all that bad. Stiff, bruised, and still wrapped in bandages, but not nearly as bad as yesterday, especially when the incident first happened.

With a small limp, she fluffed out her thick bed-head hair as best as she could, and followed her nose to the dining table. There she saw four people stuffing their faces on a warm banquet as they chatted amongst themselves, oblivious to her presence in the doorway. She merely smiled when she saw Jerome and Shikamaru fight over the last biscuit. They shot each other challenging glances before their hovering hands shot towards the lone piece of dough, and the poor thing was probably ripped to shreds as Shikamaru turned out the winner of the duel.

He was about to shove the whole thing into his smug face when he looked over at his teammate for the first time. "Temari!" he exclaimed, almost a bit too enthusiastic for his character.

Everyone stopped eating at his outburst and looked over at the woman standing nearby, making her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. She never was one for smothering attention from a group of people. "Good morning," she sweetly greeted, bowing slightly.

Genzi, Aruki, and Jerome shoved themselves out of their chairs and immediately flocked to her like a mother tiger missing its cub, swarming her with pats and hugs and words.

"Sweetie, are you feeling better this morning?"

"Temari-chan! Temari-chan, you're okay!"

"It's good to see you walking, Temari, you took quite a blow for us!"

Shikamaru furrowed his brows as Temari was crushed in a group hug, and she sent a rather mocking smile his way.

"Actually, I'm feeling fine this morning. My leg is stiff from sleeping but it's already starting to go away," Temari assured, her face humbled. Shikamaru could see that she was slightly uncomfortable with all of the attention, so he found it in his heart to save her.

"Eat, Temari," he said, waving her over to the empty spot next to him. Her eyes glittered when she looked at all the food on the table, and she excused herself and hurried over to the chair.

Everyone else settled back into their seats, and together they ate and conversed about all kinds of things, from the wolf to the musk oxen to the weather. Temari had gladly shoveled in all of her food as politely as possible, and she had even grabbed Shikamaru's last biscuit before he could even take a bite. He didn't really care, since he had had several already.

Besides, he got a kick out of seeing starving Temari with her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk.

* * *

Before Shikamaru could even take another moment's rest, Genzi had pulled him aside when breakfast was over, and had explained that he wanted to find the wolf's body.

Shikamaru was definitely bummed. "You want to find the body? Why?"

"For fur, for some examination, and most of all, for closure," Genzi clarified, a little bit shyly.

"Closure? Don't you trust that we did the job?" Shikamaru asked, trying not to point fingers or get irritated with his employer.

Genzi quickly corrected him. "No, no! It's not like that, I mean, I know you two risked your lives to kill this creature, and I believe you when you say that you did so. I just want to see it with my own eyes. I want to see the wolf that almost destroyed my family, dead. I will rest easier."

After hesitating, Shikamaru had agreed. How could he deny the request, anyways? He couldn't. So finding the wolf's corpse it was.

"Good! I'll get some things together and we go leave right away!"

"Dandy," Shikamaru muttered as the robust man lumbered around a corner of the house.

* * *

Temari was sitting on the couch, looking down at the hole in Shikamaru's arm as he sat on the floor in front of her.

"I don't like this," Shikamaru muttered, holding his left arm up for Temari as she began sowing the hole that was right above his attached forehead protector.

"And what do you not like about it?" the female ninja inquired, holding the fabric together and running a needle through both sides. She continued to repeat the process, every once in a while looking down at Shikamaru as he stared at the floor.

"As I was saying last night," he said quietly, the voices of Aruki and Genzi sounding out in the background, "I don't think this ordeal is over. There's something more to this… It was way too easy. Secondly, I don't like the idea of splitting up with my injured teammate and leaving her to protect a mother and son while I leave with the head of household back into the wilderness to where I know something is lurking about."

Temari stopped sowing for a moment and flicked the back of his neck. "Don't forget, troublesome man, you said you trusted me. Besides, I'm better than you at everything, and the chances of me losing again are slim. Stop thinking so much. The wolf is dead."

For the longest time, Shikamaru didn't say a word, and Temari wondered what she could have said to make him so quiet. Then, her thoughts were answered when he whispered, "_You stole my line_."

Temari held back a laugh and smiled proudly to herself as she patted his shoulder and went back to work on his shirt's gaping hole.

* * *

"Stay safe, don't be too long, and remember to keep hydrated and full up on food," Aruki commanded as she wrapped her husband and the Konoha ninja in long, furry shoals.

She had gone through the bags that Genzi packed, just to be sure that everything they needed was in there. She also put in extra food and a flare in each bag, but the blanket she had tried to give them didn't fit in either bag.

"My husband is an oaf a lot of times," Aruki had explained to Temari when Genzi was busy talking to Shikamaru. "Men would get nowhere if they didn't have their wives backing them up."

"You've got that right," Temari simply agreed. She and Aruki, they certainly saw eye-to-eye on many things, especially matters involving men. She just didn't understand how Aruki respected her husband so well on every little issue that came up. Not once had she heard the woman backtalk to him. Temari, on the other hand, was much more open with her feelings.

After giving Jerome one last hug, Genzi led the drooping Shikamaru away from the cabin, towards the direction that Shikamaru had explained as the location of the battlegrounds where the wolf had fallen. Shikamaru had taken one last look behind his shoulder, and caught Temari's eye.

"Keep on your toes," he said quietly, and she merely waved a pinky at him to remind him of their oath.

In a few minutes, both men were out of sight, and Temari was left with Jerome and his mother as they stood in the snow, just staring at the footprints their boys had left behind.

Jerome suddenly turned on his mom and tugged at her clothing. "Hey, Mother, can I get up in the watchtower and stand lookout for a little while?"

Temari looked up at Aruki and watched as her eyes flashed with a moment of worry. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," the woman trailed, grabbing the little pale hand of the boy.

"Please? Nothing's going to happen! Momma, _please_? Just for a little while!" His face scrunched up with a pout and his eyes could not get any more pleading.

Aruki sighed and gave him a little push. "Alright, alright. Go and keep watch, but only for a little while."

The little boy did a victory dance and ran around the outside corner of the house into the backyard. Temari looked up above the roof and saw the top of a tall, skinny tower. It was made of wood and metal and had to be about forty feet tall or so. Temari was surprised when she saw it; she didn't recall ever seeing it since they had arrived. She was probably so busy with the scenery the first day, and the mission yesterday.

"Well, while Jerome is occupied, why don't you teach me that dish you were telling me about this morning at breakfast?" Temari suggested, rubbing her arms as a small breeze inflicted its wrath upon her bare skin.

"That's a good idea! I need to start thawing the meat anyways if we are going to get it done in time," the petite woman declared, and she waved Temari inside. Temari followed happily, feeling chipper and in a good mood.

* * *

"Actually, Genzi and I met on my fifteenth birthday, when I was rendezvousing with some old friends in town. He said he was new to the town and was looking for the best bars and restaurants the town had to offer. I had a feeling he was subtly asking me on a date."

Temari fluffed out her pillow and leaned up against it again, listening closely to Aruki's every word. The woman's stories were funny and interesting, and so far they weren't at all what Temari would have expected. Somehow she imagined the husband and wife sharing a quiet, secluded life filled with traveling and fancy foods. Instead, Aruki told Temari about wild and crazy adventures that even a ninja might have on a mission.

"And did you end up showing him any of your places?" the _kunoichi_ asked curiously. She had since discarded the old bandages from her leg and put new ones on. The wound had stopped bleeding and the new bandages were still clean, which was a very, very good sign. She had her legs bent comfortably as she snuggled into the couch.

Aruki quickly nodded, her eyes brimming with humor and excitement. "Oh, I did! In fact, I took him to the most expensive restaurant and bar in the whole town and ordered a large meal off of him, and he bought a couple of drinks. I had expected him to be broke in spirit and money by the time I was done with him, but he pulled out a stuffed wallet and merely flashed me a grateful smile. 'Thank you for showing me around,' he had told me, and that was when my interest in him really piqued. So, a couple of days later, we ran into each other at the same bar and we ate and drank with each other and just… Got to know one another, really. After that second meeting, we went there every night and found each other, every time doing the same thing. We would eat, he would have a couple of drinks, and we would talk and laugh together. It was relaxing and innocent."

"That is almost too cute! How long were you two seeing each other at the bar? What happened after that?" Temari asked gleefully, and for a moment she felt like a small child in Suna, listening to an old folktale story that one of the elders had to tell. She might have been a sharp-minded, independent woman, but even she ogled over some romances.

"For about four months, it would be safe to say. We never missed a night at the bar together, either. My friends were starting to get annoyed with me because I would blow off any plans that would take away my time at the restaurant with Genzi. I don't know why, but the big oaf struck a soft spot in me and I just couldn't stop myself from thinking about him all the time. We would talk about so much and just have a good, relaxing time... And then one night things got much more complicated.

"Now, mind you, I was just barely a fifteen year old, and Genzi would have been nearing about twenty-six. I was charged with hormones and inexperienced when it came to the opposite sex, and Genzi was, fairly put, a grown and single man. When my mother found out who I was 'seeing', as she called it, she got extremely upset and tried to keep me locked up in the house at night so I wouldn't go out and meet him."

Temari gasped quietly. "Ah! What did you do?"

"I rebelled and climbed out my window in the middle of the night. As fast as I could, I ran to our place and eventually got there, out of breath. I looked around for Genzi and he turned up sitting in a corner, looking downright lonely and distressed. When he saw me, his eyes lit up right away and he flocked over to me like a lost puppy. I explained to him what had happened and why I was late, only to surprise me when he started to usher me out of the door. 'You're going back to your mother,' he explained to me, holding me by the hand."

"Really? Why he'd do that? Doesn't seem very romantic to me," Temari asked, furrowing her brows.

"I thought similar things as we walked to my house in silence, but when he knocked on my door and my mother stormed outside, I realized that he was being very courageous and very much like an adult. After getting poked and hollered at by my mother for several minutes, I butted in and explained to my mom that I had ran out of my room through the window and Genzi brought me back right away. My mother was so impressed with his actions that she invited him for dinner the next day, so she could get to know him better.

"The next day, I asked Genzi why he had brought me home the night before, and he explained to me very simply and calmly, 'I am an honorable man and I do not believe in a child disrespecting their father or mother, no matter how old they are. Besides, if I am to court you, we must gain the trust of your mother and I need to prove to her that I am going to take care of you.' After that, my respect for Genzi quadrupled and I never saw him the same light again. I also didn't expect the part about him courting me, and I became very excited. It was then that I knew that I was beginning to fall head over heels for a man that was a good ten years older than me."

"Oh, that is so adorable," Temari replied to Aruki's story, and Aruki giggled and sighed.

A loud beep interrupted the women, and both of them jumped off of the couch. "Sounds like the water is boiling by now. The beef should be completely thawed by now, too," Aruki stated, and they both headed into the kitchen.

The humble wife began to show Temari all of the ingredients that would be needed for the meal that they were making, which included potatoes, onions, thin-sliced beef, and went with miso soup and usually a side of white rice. "Nikujaga", she called it, was a Japanese favorite and a good mother's-touch sort of meal.

So, they cooked and washed dishes and prepared everything they needed, all the while still jabbing women's jabber about all sorts of things. At one point, Jerome came back inside and ate a quick snack, but Temari and Aruki were so involved in their woman to woman conversations that he got disinterested and went back outside.

Eventually, the conversation went back to the earlier story.

"So," Temari asked as she sliced up some onions, "how long did Genzi court you until you got married?"

Aruki stirred a pan full of water and rice, an apron tied around her waist. "Well, after he had dinner at my house, he asked my mother if he could court me. She took much convincing from him, but eventually she let go of her motherly ties and agreed that he could start courting me. Three months later, we were getting married with a quiet wedding and already planning our future together. Genzi has taken such good care of me ever since the day I met him."

Temari didn't respond as she stared at the onions she had just sliced up, her eyes burning from the irritating gasses of the vegetable. For some reason, Aruki's words had made her think about Shikamaru. _I wonder if he'll enjoy this meal, _she thought to herself, and she forgot about Aruki as her mind began to wander.

Aruki looked away from the pot of rice and watched Temari as she chopped the onions. She looked like she was in deep thought, and couldn't stop the knowing smile from appearing on her face. "So, Temari…"

The girl looked up at Aruki inquisitively.

"I was wondering about you and Shikamaru. Are you two an item?" Usura Aruki asked quietly.

Temari's face reddened and she stared at the floor and thought about her answer. "No. Shikamaru's not my type. Lazy, unmotivated, and sexist. Not to mention, a relationship with Shikamaru wouldn't work out; we're from different villages, for one thing. And I couldn't imagine what my brothers would think of me getting involved with him."

Aruki nodded as if she understood, and turned back to her pot. "I know where you're coming from. I used to think the same thing about Genzi the day we first met. But as the days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and I began to see the real, noble man underneath the foolish outer skin. I knew I loved him, both of his skins, after spending so much time and kisses with him."

Once again, Temari found herself thinking about Shikamaru, and she clenched her teeth and sliced up another piece of onion. Okay, most of what she had said to Aruki about a relationship with Shikamaru was true. But how come she couldn't get her mind off of him all of a sudden? The way he smirked lopsided at her, the stupid things he would say to her, and the strong, calloused hands that had saved her more than once now. Not to mention, in the past twenty-four hours she had felt the urge to flirt with him with smiles and retorts and touching. It's just a good thing she managed to hold most of that urge back.

As Temari debated with herself about her feelings for Shikamaru, Aruki blinked softly as she remembered her own mixed feelings for Genzi. When she had first met him, she had felt mixed emotions of annoyance and curiosity, and she wasn't sure what to think of him. Aruki wondered if that was how Temari felt about her comrade, considering the way they looked at each other and talked to each other and whispered to each other.

"You know, Shikamaru was so worried when they brought you home the night before. He tried to hide it, but anyone could guess he was scared by the way he forgot about his own shivering body and hunger and tended to you. A lot of men tried to hide their fear at some times, to be strong for a woman. That's probably the most amazing thing about Genzi to me."

Temari smiled to herself. "You're right, Aruki. Men are scared to _admit_ they're scared. It's pretty sweet sometimes."

"You've got that right. But wait until you hear this story I have to tell about the time Genzi and I were in the Mist country…"

* * *

**Please help me with spelling and grammatical errors, please! I'm hoping to get this fanfiction_ perfect_.**

**Sorry fans, for the long update time for this chapter. I've had so much happen in the past few days, and not to mention that I've been caught up with my newest obsession – Kartrider. It's an awesome, free online game by Nexon that I've just been dying over… I'll do my best to get the next chapter up in about two days or so, just like my old update time . I can't leave you guys, my favorite fans, hanging!**

**--An interesting fact: I got Jerome's (Jehr-oh-may) name from a character from Ginga Densetsu Weed, a Japanese anime about dogs. Aruki and Genzi were thought up on my own --**


	8. Jealousy

To Shikamaru's secret and anxious suspicion, the wolf's body was gone.

The carcass of the animal that was for certain dead had apparently been dragged off somewhere by something or someone, and no trace of it was left.

"An animal of some sort must have taken it and eaten it," Genzi assumed, looking around the clearing at where the fighting had taken place. The blood had since been covered over by a fresh layer of snow, but the tree that the mammal had taken down with its chakra-enforced teeth was still there, lying in the same spot with small piles of snow covering its deadened bark and leaves. Genzi noticed it and walked over to it, inspecting the slashes and rips in the wood with interest.

"The wolf did this, you say?"

Shikamaru nodded and walked over to his left side, staring down at the tree's wound. "Yes. It was an animal capable of molding chakra as good as any shinobi could have done."

Both men glanced uneasily at each other and walked away from the tree. "The encounter was much quicker than I had expected when I first looked at the wolf. I thought it was going to take much more cunning…"

"And the wolf, did it speak to you again? Did it ask you anything?"

Shikamaru shook his head in response. "All it said was the name of the jutsu it was using, and its eyes turned blue again as it did so."

There was no answer. When Shikamaru looked up at Genzi, he noted how the gentleman was staring around the snowy trees with narrowed, fear-filled eyes, as if they were expecting an attack of some sort. Well, that sure didn't make Shikamaru feel any easier about the situation.

Before he could ask Genzi what the problem was, the round man ushered him away and started retracing the steps that they had already taken. "Let's get home, Shikamaru. Temari is probably waiting anxiously for your return."

Shikamaru paused and turned back towards the spot where the wolf had fallen, and then to place where Temari was injured. A dark, anguishing feeling swept over him and he somehow knew that this story wasn't over. Everything was happening so quickly and far, far too easily for Shikamaru. After all, when did the poor guy ever catch a nice break like this?

He sighed and continued on following Genzi back to their temporary home, wondering what kind of troublesome thing would force its way into his life.

* * *

"You know, Shikamaru, I think you and Temari deserve something more for the hard work you've done for us," Genzi thoughtfully mumbled as he trudged through ankle-deep snow. "Risking your lives to complete the mission - that's what a true ninja does. Right?" 

"Hm," was all the Chuunin replied with, looking over at his employer with a blank expression.

"Aruki and I should throw a big feast for you! Yes, a humongous banquet with the finest of our meats and vegetables and everything else included! You and Temari sure do deserve it."

Shikamaru thought about it for a moment. A feast sounded very tempting to him, especially considering all of the good meals Aruki had made thus far. But the more he thought about it, the more he relished the idea of giving Temari another day of complete rest, where she could heal up and stay safe. Though the pain was pretty much gone in her leg, the wound was still there, and it could reopen if under too much strain. Not to mention, there was still something strange out there that Shikamaru did not trust…

"A feast sounds nice," Shikamaru quietly agreed, stuffing his hands in his pockets for warmth. He blinked away a stray snowflake from his eyelashes and anticipated what would be spread across the dinner table for them to eat when they got home. He imagined Temari, playing outside with Jerome or cooking with Aruki, and didn't even realize it when he sighed comfortably.

Genzi was still rambling on and Shikamaru started to tune back into him. "…Don't worry if this mission takes longer than expected for you to officially complete. If it's all right with you, I would feel safer if you and Temari stayed another day or two, but don't fret, you'll be paid extra and will get some extra spoiling. Rest up with Temari all day tomorrow while we cook the great feast for you, and you can enjoy the scenery and time with your friend."

Shikamaru nodded. _Sounds great to me,_ he thought to himself.

"Good, good!" Shikamaru almost thought Genzi was going to dance around in glee; he was that excited. In some ways, he was worse than Naruto! "Now, we're almost home, so let's stop to bring back some extra firewood for tonight! Aruki wouldn't appreciate it if I didn't repay her somehow for her hard work…"

"I know exactly what you mean," Shikamaru mumbled, and with a fearful glance at each other, they shuffled through the snow towards some trees to get that firewood.

* * *

The meal was finished, and now Temari was putting all of the lid covers back on the pots and pans to keep the food hot, while Aruki set the table. She bit her lip as she glanced around the corner of the kitchen at her giant fan that uselessly sat on the hardwood floor.

She wished she had gone with Shikamaru today, but her stupid leg probably wasn't ready for another exhausting hike. If only she had reacted quicker… Then she and poor Shikamaru wouldn't have been in such a predicament.

At least she got to cook a dinner for him. It would be her way to repay her new debt to him. Hopefully he would like his food.

As she walked away from the kitchen, she thought about what Shikamaru had said earlier. Now that she really thought about it, Shikamaru had been truly worried. It showed on his face and the way he kept sending her serious looks. Temari figured it was over nothing, but in the back of her mind, she considered what would happen if he was right. After all, she couldn't deny that her Shika had an IQ over 200 and was honestly one of the best strategists she had ever fought. And that battle with the white wolf was definitely _not_ what either of them had expected.

She walked over to a window and watched as a couple of small snowflakes randomly drifted from the sky. Thinking about it so much had given her a gnawing twinge of fear in her belly.

_Did I doubt you too much, Nara boy?_

* * *

With armfuls of twigs, dead logs, and branches, the two men stumbled through the snow, barely able to see where they were going. The firewood had taken about an hour to gather, and since they didn't bring an ax or anything of the like with them, they had to carry back chunks of trees to chop up into smaller pieces later. 

Once they dropped all of the wood in one pile, they tiredly trudged towards the front door, panting with fatigue. It was nearing dusk and they had already burned off their lunch from earlier, so when the delicious smell of Nikujaga and other various scents hit their noses, their mouths began to water and they jumped through the unlocked door rather gracefully.

"We're home, my Dear Aruki! Do I sample the aroma of my favorite dish?" Genzi sang as he rampaged around corners of the house, looking for his girl.

She and Temari were sitting on the couches, watching Jerome build a tower of colorful blocks next to the warm fire. They had jumped up as soon as they heard the boys run inside.

"You're getting snow all over the house, Genzi! Why don't you change into dry clothes, and I'll get some new pajamas for Shikamaru," she gently ordered, kissing Genzi's cheek and ushering him to their bedroom. Shikamaru wandered near Temari, staring at the slowly rising jumble of blocks that Jerome had masterfully created.

As soon as he came near, Jerome practically soared on wings in front of the ninja, and looked up at him with such a serious attitude that Shikamaru uneasily took a step backwards. "Don't come closer! I've worked really hard on this and I don't want it to fall!"

"Okay, I see," Shikamaru murmured, backing off a bit more from the boy's personal space. "Thanks for the nice welcome back."

Either Jerome didn't hear him or he simply ignored him, because he merely turned back to his masterpiece and started carefully placing more blocks at the very, very top.

Temari scoffed and shook her head at Shikamaru, and he turned to her with a look of pure confusion. "What did I do?"

She shrugged and her grin only got wider. "You didn't do anything."

"Yeah, which is why you're practically laughing at me. Seriously, I've only been here a couple of seconds and you're already scoffing at me. What did I do?" he prodded, slumping his shoulders and shoving his hands into his pocket as he gave Temari dirty, putout looks.

This time, Temari chuckled delicately. "No, seriously, it's nothing you did. It's just…"

"Dang it, woman, what in hell are you trying to say!?"

"I just think that you look funny with your face paled and your lips blue like that. Kind of cute, really. When I looked at you I got reminded of a sad, pathetic penguin. That's why I was laughing at you."

Defeated, Shikamaru rolled his eyes and rubbed his numb hands together. He didn't bother to retaliate, mostly because he just felt like getting out of his cold, wet clothes. It was also a really weak joke either way. "I personally like penguins," he told her as he turned to watch Aruki walk over to him with some more clothes in her hands.

He gratefully took the clothes and hauled them into the bathroom to change. On the way, he could have sworn he heard Aruki whisper, "The sweet dear, he looks like a frozen Popsicle!"

* * *

Genzi and Shikamaru were seated down for dinner right away. Temari and Aruki brought over the dinner and afterwards Aruki forced Temari to sit down while she served the four their meals. 

"Jerome, wait for Mother to sit down before you start to eat. It's disrespectful to her if you disregard her hard work," Genzi criticized before the young man could shovel the food into his mouth, He didn't look angry and simply nodded his head, watching as Aruki sat down and served herself some food.

After giving their thanks, Shikamaru and Genzi must have been the first ones to taste the food. Temari was sitting next to Shikamaru on the corner of the table, and made a slightly disgusted look as she watched her friend eat like a fat porker. But it also sent her a quiver of anticipation as she expectantly waited for his reaction. She found herself hoping dearly that he enjoyed his meal.

"Can you two even taste the food?" Aruki asked, picking up her fork and spoon. Genzi nodded, his eyes shining despite his stuffed cheeks.

"I certainly can, Aruki, and I must say, this is just as good as you always make it!" her husband replied after swallowing.

Shikamaru took a sip of water and pleasantly agreed. "It's so very good… Especially after coming home from a tiresome day like today. Thank you."

"Luscious!" Genzi added in.

Temari felt a wave of pride sweep across her and she smiled down at her food. Until now she hadn't taken a bite, but now that she knew Shikamaru was satisfied, she felt her ravenous appetite return, so she began to eat.

"Thank _you_, Shikamaru. I'm glad to hear you say that, too, Shikamaru, because Temari helped make this dinner all day today," Aruki softly announced, afterwards blowing on her soup and sipping it.

Temari felt herself blush as she felt two pairs of eyes look over at her. She glanced up to see Shikamaru had stopped chewing and was smiling from ear to ear, pieces of noodles sticking out of his mouth. "You know, Temari, you're starting to get nicer and nicer to me everyday. You haven't gone soft on me, have you?"

In response, Temari slapped the back of his head. "Don't get used to it, Lazy!"

Both Genzi and Aruki laughed, and Jerome rolled his eyes.

* * *

A solid fist angrily beat against the trunk of a tree, and a few splinters chipped off and flung in every which way. 

"Damnation to that fool," a man shouted furiously, staring invisible bombs into the lone cabin, where everyone was happily sitting down eating a warm meal. He sat in the tallest branches of a random tree, where the cover was thick but easy for him to spy on the family inside of their home. The musk oxen in the backyard were grazing and fairly quiet, which was good for them, because this fellow was in no mood for any more annoyances today.

A quiet rumble told him that someone was coming, and he made room on the branch as a creature hopped its way up to him. A large, healthy, white wolf nudged its snout underneath the man's muscled arm, and he gently scratched the fur and skin near its black nose.

"You've done good, my friend, but I'm afraid not nearly good enough."

The wolf growled and bared its teeth as it looked over at Genzi's home.

"Everything was going according to my estimations. Until he decided to get help from _them._"

Man and Beast sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the quiet laughs and loud talking of the five people inside. Their eyes never left the lit window where they knew their enemy was sitting down comfortably in his warm house, with his wife and son, and everything he wanted right at his fingertips. It disgusted Ruka so much that he spit a glob of saliva towards the snow below as if he could taste it.

"Tomorrow, we attack. We'll get a hostage and force everything off of him. He'll listen. He believes in morals," Ruka whispered, running his fingertips through the fine pale hairs of the animal next to him. "I will finally have his land, his money, his honor… And best of all, his Heart of Gold."

The wolf growled and wagged its tail, stating its agreement and willingness to cooperate.

"We can easily take care of the Konoha ninjas. They're obviously no match for us."

The compact man patted the creature's head and immediately it stood up. They ran down the base of the tree together and disappeared further into the snowy woods, the hatred coming off of them in waves.

* * *

**Author's Note: Things will begin to unwravel, now that the enemy has been glimpsed. I'm trying to make sure I'm getting the changing relationship between Shikamaru and Temari just right, so I hope you've been able to see the changes in the way they think about each other.  
****I also hope you enjoyed the moment between Shikamaru and Genzi as much as I did! Genzi and Shikamaru both know from experience to never let their woman down. Shikamaru will tell you that xD**

**Anyways, sorry for all of these author's notes, they bother me, too, but I just wanted to let you know that I really did try with this chapter, I promise. Even if it seems a little dull or rushed. Let me know how I did if it floats your boat. Thanks a bunch, I love you guys so much! ♥**


	9. It Bears Repeating

"Jerome, you're very mean to me."

The boy stopped rolling snow into a small ball and looked up at Shikamaru. Jerome was squatting in the snow looking up at the ninja with an emotionless face.

"You look like a big tree from this angle," he replied.

Temari, who sat in a chair a meter away, smirked down at her book and held her tongue. Shikamaru must have sensed that, because he looked over at her and gave her a sour look. Jerome shook his head and started patting at his snow again, pleasantly aware of Temari's silent approval of his mockery.

"I think you're jealous because I'm bigger than you," Shikamaru smoothly replied, thrusting his hands into his pocket.

Jerome shrugged. "I just thought you looked like a tree. I'm not jealous; why would anybody want to look like a tree? Except you, of course."

Shikamaru shook his head and turned away with a sigh. He had brought out a chair for himself, too, and so he walked over to it and sat his butt down very lazy-like. "Troublesome," he muttered loud enough for Temari to hear.

Never taking her eyes off of her book, she raised her right arm and struck her hand down on the back of his head, her way of telling him of her contempt. Shikamaru merely scoffed and rubbed the back of his head and neck, staring at his shoes. "How come he enjoys the company of such a violent woman?" he moaned.

"Haven't you noticed that I'm only violent with _you_?" she replied, closing her book and turning to look at him. Her brow was raised and there was a small smile on her lips. The typical Temari-face.

"Yes, in fact, I have, but I've never come up with a conclusion as to why. A woman's mind is so scrambled up."

Temari took a deep breath and hesitated in her chair for a moment. Then, to her friend's suspicion and surprise, she stood up, grabbed her chair, and walked it closer to him so that now their chairs were touching at the armrests. When she sat back down, Shikamaru suddenly had a tight feeling in his gut that was about as confusing as the sand-witch herself. In a quieted voice, she leaned over to his shoulder and told him what she really thought.

"I think if you got to know Jerome better and starting being nicer to him, you might gain a new friend. I think he really is jealous of you, Shikamaru, so you might have to be extra nice."

For a moment, Shikamaru was distracted by the warm breath that tickled his neck, and a sudden fantasy about what Temari's mouth must taste like popped into his mind. At the mention of Jerome's jealously, however, Shikamaru pushed the images out of his brain and pondered over her words. "But what could he possibly be jealous of? My ninja status? Because that's about the only thing I have that someone else would want." He searched skeptically into her teal eyes and was drawn to them – they had always glittered with personality and spunk. Especially at that moment, he thought. Screwy hormones.

"Think about it," Temari continued, still careful to keep her voice down. "I think Jerome has a little boy's crush on me. Because you're in the picture, I guess you could say he feels… Threatened."

Shikamaru couldn't help it. He started laughing. Loudly. "Ahaha, wow, Temari, your assumptions are preposterous, but sane enough to make sense. Still, I hope this doesn't all go to your troublesome little head, woman." He poked her forehead gently. "Don't be so full of yourself from now on, Temari-san."

Temari bustled out of her chair so quickly that Shikamaru didn't even realize what had happened when he felt himself get kicked hard in the butt and shoved straight out of his fabric-chair. He started laughing again as Temari shoved him again at the shoulders towards Jerome. "Stop being such a lazy jackass for once and make peace with the boy!"

He half walked, half stumbled towards the kid and tried to shake his laughter off. Waving a hand behind him at Temari, he walked around until he was in front of Jerome, and crouched down to get closer to his eye-level.

He stopped patting at the snow mound and glared up at Shikamaru. "You're in my space and breathing my air…"

"Air is free," Shikamaru countered. "No one can claim oxygen. As for your space, I don't see any tape blocking this area off… So I think I'll stay and make myself comfortable, if you don't mind."

"Well, I do mind," Jerome responded, looking back down at the snow beneath his fingers. He had been busy the past hour building some sort of mountain of snow, and hadn't really gotten anywhere because he was trying to get the edges smoothed perfectly. "I don't really like you."

Shikamaru glanced behind his shoulder at Temari. She smiled all pretty-like and waved at him encouragingly. He looked back over at Jerome and sighed. "Troublesome child, why don't you like me? You've hated me from the beginning. Which wasn't long ago at all."

Jerome shrugged. "I don't know, I just don't."

"Is this about Temari? Because if you like her—"

"I don't like Temari!" Jerome retorted a bit too quickly, understanding where Shikamaru was coming from. "She's just a lot more funnier than you!"

Shikamaru grinned. "Good. Because I was going to say that if you liked her, don't get your hopes up. She's already fallen in love with someone from her home village."

With his words brought an instant interest from Jerome. "Really? …Who?"

"Oh, I've met him, and believe me, neither one of us is any match for him. He's tall and talented and smart and even more troublesome than you. Temari won't stop talking about him when I'm around her. It's annoying, too; when women are in love, they jabber about it non-stop…"

The look on Jerome's genuinely surprised face was enough to satisfy Shikamaru's evil side for a long, long time.

"So… She doesn't even like _you_?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nah, not one bit. Her and I are more like brother and sister… That's why she's always hitting me and stuff."

Jerome looked back down at his snow pile, in deep thought, and Shikamaru had a few seconds to himself to silently brag about his smooth talking. Then, he looked back up at him again and simply nodded. "Okay, then. I was wondering about that."

The two boys nodded at each other respectfully, as if a treaty had just been signed between them. There was an awkward silence between them and Shikamaru drummed his fingers on his leg. "So…. What are you making here?"

"Oh, it's a pile of snow, nothing special. I used to build them all of the time when…"

Temari, who had been able to tune in on the conversation with enough concentration, sighed happily and gingerly rubbed a finger on the edge of her hardcover book.

* * *

The musk oxen had been brushed, fed, and had their hooves chipped of dirt and rocks. That left Genzi only one more thing to do; check for the possibility of injuries, early signs of sickness, or pregnant cows. He would have done so as he gave each individual ox a quick brush, but his mind was filled with thoughts of other things so that he did not even remember to give the animals a quick overview. 

He absentmindedly petted the snout of one of the giant creatures as it greeted a familiar face. Musk oxen were cautious to strangers, but social with friends, and this particular ox had been Genzi's companion for many years now.

Aruki was walking around the corner of their house into the backyard, where she knew her husband would be at this time of day. In her hands she carried a small cup of hot tea that she made especially for him, to warm him up. She had already started working on the main dishes for the feast Genzi had requested, and she knew once he was done with his outdoor work that he would come inside and help her with the meals. After all, it was an honorable thing for the head of household to serve his guests with his own hands. As she approached Genzi, she could immediately tell that something was not right with him. He looked somber as he stroked Ichika, the oldest musk oxen in the herd, and he didn't even notice her until she was almost standing in front of him.

"Ah, Aruki," he greeted warmly, turning towards her. She offered him the tea and he quietly accepted it, taking a careful sip of the scorching liquid. For his numb lips, it was like an instantaneous relief.

When she continued to watch him with such a worried look, Genzi set his teacup on a flat plank on the fence next to him, and reached for her hands. "Aruki, my dearest, what's wrong?"

She squeezed his large hands. "I was planning to ask you the same question, Genzi." Her eyes bored into his and he knew that he couldn't cheat her out of the truth now. His wife new him so well that lying was simply impossible; not that Genzi ever had to lie to her, anyways.

He sighed and rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands, biting the side of his mouth and staring at something that wasn't there. "Aruki," he began, keeping his voice low and serious. "Do you think we can trust them?"

Aruki immediately understood what he was asking. It wasn't just about trusting them with the family's safety or with the belongings; no, it was much deeper than that, but Aruki comprehended the real point of his question. She took a deep breath and looked over at Shikamaru, Temari, and Jerome. Shikamaru had since sat down next to Jerome, and Temari leaned against her teammate's shoulder because she didn't want to sit down in the cold, wet snow. Her mind traveled back to a couple nights before, when she had poured out her fears to the two Konoha-ninja.

"_Aruki, don't worry anymore. Shikamaru and I here to take care of things. Your family is safe now."_

"_It's an oath," he said quietly, a serious frown on his face. "No matter how troublesome it may be, I won't be a coward and run away."_

She knew that they both had good hearts and that they would keep their promises. They had no reason to betray that. Looking back over at Genzi, the petit woman smiled. "I have reason to believe that we can trust them with anything. Our secrets included."

Genzi was silent for a moment as he pondered her answer. Then, he slowly nodded in agreement. "Aruki, you're right. I will tell them everything tonight, after the feast."

Before anything else could be said on the subject, the musk oxen started to moan and yelp, all scattering to one side of the fence. In a moment of fear, Aruki watched her husband throw himself in front of her, and she could have sworn she had seen a white flash of fur.

* * *

All three stopped playing in the snow and looked over at Aruki and Genzi, about a hundred feet away, as a loud shriek sounded. 

As if he was invisible, a man appeared beside Jerome and grabbed the boy by his arm. Shikamaru jumped up next to Temari and grabbed a shuriken from his pouch, tossing it towards the man's face. With superhuman speed, he and Jerome disappeared from the weapon's trail and ended up a good few meters away, all in the passing of a mere second.

"Momma! Papa!" Jerome cried painfully as he helpless dangled by his arm in a tight grip. Answering his yells, Genzi and Aruki began running towards their son, only to get blocked as a white wolf ran in front of them to block their path. It bared its fangs and growled viciously.

Shikamaru studied the man in front of them. He was tall and thin, and at first sight he wouldn't look like much of a threat at all. His face was ghostly pale, almost as white as the snow piled around them. His hair was dirty blonde and trimmed in a fashion similar to Kiba's hairdo, except a bit shaggier. He wore a simple and long, black kimono with no decorations except for two blue wolf eyes on his left shoulder sleeve. Then, in a calm, icy voice, he spoke, all the while looking at Shikamaru and Temari, but raising his voice loud enough for Genzi to hear.

"If you do not bring the Heart of Gold to the western caves then I will kill the child."

Then, all four watched as both the wolf and man started to run in the other direction towards each other, the stranger still holding on the Jerome. As they crossed paths, the pale guy jumped on the back of the large wolf and they were gone into the trees in mere seconds.

* * *

About an hour later, Genzi, Aruki, Shikamaru, and Temari sat on chairs inside the house, staring walls or the floor. Aruki was quietly sobbing as she tried to muffle it with her hands, and Temari watched Shikamaru as he impatiently fiddled with his fingers and sat hunched over. 

He finally looked up at Genzi, who was silent and fairly emotionless. The man blinked fearfully and caught Shikamaru's gaze, but couldn't hold it for long.

"Who was that man? What's this 'Heart of Gold', Genzi?" Shikamaru asked, breaking the silence with an edgy tone.

Aruki brought her face from her hands and clasped her fingers together, bringing the one fist to her lips and nose. She and Genzi exchanged a look similar to the one Shikamaru had seen the first night as they took that picture from him.

"I will tell you our story," Genzi began slowly and sorrowfully, "but you both have to swear to complete secrecy. What I have to tell you has been a part of our family name since the beginning and anyone who betrays our secret will forever be an enemy."

"I swear it," Temari was the first to answer, raising her right hand.

"I swear," Shikamaru echoed, doing the same as Temari by lifting his right hand.

With a nod, Genzi scooted to the edge of his chair. "Let me tell you my family history, and this will all make sense…"


	10. The Heart of Gold

"When Aruki and I first got married, my father was still alive. I was very close to him. He only had one sister – though she had died as a teenager years before after contracting a terrible disease that left her terminally ill. After which remained only four members of our family still breathing; my grandfather, my dad, myself, and then there was my brother…

"My grandfather was a shinobi, one of the finest in his league. He lived in the hidden village of the Water Country and was highly respected by all of his peers, the Mizukage included."

Temari gasped ever so slightly. The Water Country's village hidden in the mist was famous for its outbreak of persecution against bloodlines within its own walls, and also known for its formerly ferocious training methods, which had eventually been cut short. But ninjas from the village never truly changed when it came to brutality and unnecessary killing and they were opponents to be worthily considered when in battle.

How could a kind, defenseless family like the Usura's originate from a powerful shinobi within the walls of such a merciless village?

"When I was ten years of age, my grandfather was diagnosed with the same strange disease that had killed my aunt. It ate the both of them alive, from the inside out, digging deeper everyday into their brain. First they lost use of their limbs, then their entire bodies. Eventually their memories faded and before the day of the deaths, they were mere vegetables, in deep comas and unable to do a thing for themselves.

"It was a dishonorable way for a shinobi to die, at least in the Water County. My father and I both knew that my grandfather would have rather died, covered in his own blood and the blood of his enemies, than lying helplessly on a hospital bed, depending on other people to take care of him. He had no choice, though…"

With glazed eyes, Genzi quickly shook his head.

"But this story isn't just about my grandfather. It's about the bloodline that we shared."

Shikamaru, obviously familiar with bloodlines, narrowed his eyes at Genzi. So far, he wasn't seeing where this story was heading. When he glanced at Temari, he saw that she was in the same position as him. To concentrate better, he pressed his fingers together in his constructive "O" shape, thinking over every word that had been said so far.

Genzi continued, "Before Makkura- my grandfather- was severely bedridden by his disease, he had called in my father, my brother, and myself to see him. As we stood by his bedside, he began to tell us stories of our family history, listing names of people in our past, telling us to listen carefully as he did so. When he explained why he became a shinobi, he said it was because his own father had given him something precious. Something that he must protect at all costs."

Shikamaru realized what Genzi was talking about a moment before the man began reaching for his neck. He gritted his teeth as he watched his employer pull out a piece of jewelry from underneath his shirt, and pulled it over his head. It was the same necklace that Shikamaru had seen in the picture the first day on the boat, the one with the green emerald embedded into a circle of pure gold. But now seen in person, it was much, much more brilliant.

It was small, easily able to fit in the palm of Genzi's huge hand. The emerald was green, yes, but when Shikamaru watched closely, it seemed to glow with a pale shade of blue and gold, as if some living thing was inside of it.

_The Heart of Gold._

Temari's hand grabbed at Shikamaru's left shoulder as she stared at Genzi's treasure. Her eyes sparkled with wonder.

"Oh… Wow, it's so beautiful!" she gasped.

"This is the Heart of Gold, Temari. It's what is passed down through my family's main tree, eldest-to-eldest, generation after generation. Like my grandfather taught my father, my dad has also taught me the secrets of the necklace and what it means to our family name. It is to be defended to the death. I was to teach Jerome as soon as he became of age…"

Aruki threw her gaze to the floor, her puffy eyes still pouring tears for her stolen son. She hadn't yet, however, said a word for Genzi's story, and from the looks of it, didn't plan to.

"What's so special about it, Genzi?" Temari asked, looking up at him with a slight frown on her lips. "Why does it glow?"

Genzi leaned forward and handed the necklace to her. She took it with slight hesitation, and brought it closer to her face. Shikamaru leaned in closer next to her and studied it as well.

"That is the secret of the necklace. For whoever carries the bloodline of the Usura family, they are the ones who can unlock the power that is hidden deep inside the confines of the jewel. When a shinobi learns how to tap into its power, he or she is granted quadruple the amount of their normal chakra limits, and they can perform heavy-duty jutsus with ease, and many times over."

"And is there any type of element or jutsu type it specializes in?" Temari asked, touching a forefinger to the center of the emerald. When she really concentrated, she thought she could feel something strange at the tip of her fingertips, and it left her with an eerie sensation of being watched.

Genzi held out his hand and took the necklace back. "No, there are no limits on what type of jutsus a ninja could perform with the necklace. If the holder uses water element jutsus, then it will support his talents. If, on the other hand, a few generations later, a new holder knows fire element jutsus, it wouldn't matter. The necklace just gives you chakra. But there have been a few cases where, when the holder was under extreme pressure, the necklace's power engulfed the holder so that he lost his own will and the necklace took over."

_It sounds more like a Jinchuuriki to me. Like a Bijuu being passed down from generation to generation, _Temari morbidly observed, and she thought of her brother, Gaara, and the few times his Bijuu had been released. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle and an extremely dangerous situation to be in. She hoped she never had to see times like that anymore.

"It's like the necklace has a mind of its own," Genzi continued. "It can heal, too! In the past, when teammates have come close to death, the Usura necklace-bearers have been able to suck massive amounts of chakra from the necklace and themselves and focus it on the fatal wounds, closing them over and repairing damage that otherwise couldn't have been fixed in time."

Shikamaru looked over at Temari, who seemed completely thrown into the conversation, as if she couldn't hear enough of it. He glanced at Aruki, still trying to hold back her tears, and his heart grew enraged.

He cut off the conversation by abruptly standing up, closing his fists so tight that his knuckles grew white. All three sitting people looked up at him in surprise, and Temari tried to catch his gaze, but he wouldn't look her in the eye.

"I refuse to be a part of this any longer," he muttered darkly, eyes narrowed. "The entire time we've been here, both you and Aruki have known the situation perfectly well, and yet you've sent us off on pointless missions, risking our lives for nothing!"

He glared challengingly at Genzi, who returned his gaze with a shameful eye. "Shikamaru, I'm--"

"Temari almost died, Genzi! And for what? A necklace that needs to be kept secret from the outside world? The world couldn't even use it anyways!" He went to turn away, shaking his head in anger, when a hand stopped him.

Temari was standing next to him, disbelief on her face as she clutched his hand. She wasn't about to let him storm off like that.

Shikamaru turned to look at her, but this time there was less anger than there had been before.

"Shikamaru, calm down. Why are you this upset? I've never seen you make an outburst like before." She squeezed his hand, pulling him back down as she sat on her own chair. "Listen to what they have to say, Shika."

The pet name again. What was with the pet name?

He felt a bit reassured and shoved himself back into his chair, returning the squeeze to Temari's soft hand before letting go of it. He knew he shouldn't have been such a jackass to Genzi and Aruki, but… When he looked at Temari lately, all he had been thinking of was how much fear he had felt when he thought she was going to die, the taste of devastation that scared the piss out of him so much still there in his mouth. He had been very, very confused, especially since the night that he and Temari had sat by the fireplace together. Now, hearing all of this that Genzi had to say, it made him so distressed that for once, his usually calm and collected mind had just went crazy.

"Fine. I'm listening."

Aruki and Genzi looked very much relieved to hear him say that.

"Thank you, Shikamaru," Genzi said, loud and clearly, trying to sound like he truly meant it. "I know it was wrong of me to do that to you and Temari. But please listen to what I have to say. This necklace is more precious to my family than my own life. I must protect it and its secrets more than anything else in the world.

"But there is more to my motives than that… For you see… The man who kidnapped Jerome today is my brother."

Both Temari and Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit. Now Shikamaru understood it all a bit better. Genzi had to do whatever he could to keep this necklace away from his darker brother, because if it fell in the wrong hands, it meant disaster. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, slouching against the back of the chair like his old self again.

"Will you help us get Jerome back and protect the necklace, Shikamaru and Temari?" Genzi asked, leaning forward to look them in the eyes.

Temari turned to Shikamaru. He still had his eyes closed. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he beat her to the punch.

"I made several promises during the course of this mission, and I don't plan on breaking any of them," the spiky-haired Konoha ninja fiercely responded, looking over at Aruki with his trusty crooked smile. "If Temari is up to it, then I will help you, even if it is ridiculously troublesome."

All three looked over at Temari, and she frowned.

"Oh, _hell_, am I ever ready."

* * *

**Author's Note: I TOLD you I didn't abandon you guys!**

**I am soooooooo sorry for the unusually long update time! December and January were just unfathomably busy, and I had no time or privacy to work on this chapter properly. ****But I've finally got back into the swing of things! HURRAH!**

**Also, sorry for the crappy quality and shortness of the chapter. I rushed to save you guys the agony of any more waiting xD**

**LOVE YOU ALL! ♥  
Stay faithfully tuned for chapter 11!**

**P.S.: Help me with getting this chapter perfect like the others. Tell me about any mistakes I make in my writing, please!**


	11. Tell You a Secret

"_Aruki… Before we go, I just want to say that… I'm sorry for everything."_

_The brown-haired woman just stared at him unbelievingly. "You're sorry?"_

"_I'm so sorry, Aruki. I love you so much. I should never have married you. Then you and Jerome wouldn't be stuck in the middle of this. You would be safe."_

_As the tears started pouring down the man's plump cheeks, the woman smiled and reached up to wipe them away. She pulled him into a tight embrace, burying her face into his shirt._

"_You foolish man. I wouldn't trade our marriage, our life, and our son, for anything in the world. I chose it of my own free will and I knew what the responsibilities were. I love you, Genzi, and don't you forget it. So please, stop weeping."_

_He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and it only made him cry even harder._

"_Oh, my dear, sweet Aruki. I love you, too."_

* * *

He tried to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible, and though his huge size would normally be a drawback in the thick foliage and crunchy snow, the thought of saving his one child, his son, miraculously added a lighter touch to his feet, and he kept his pace slow.

It all felt like a huge dream; in some secret place in Genzi's heart, he had never thought that a day like this would come, when he would be facing his younger brother with the prospect of life or death. He had been living in a fantasyland, caught up in a perfect life of family and fortune, away from the realities of the shinobi world that surrounded him. Now his brother, Ruka, was here to take it all away when he had least expected it.

Ruka had been following them for weeks now, but until those few hours ago, the younger man had never showed his face; instead he had sent his wolf, his partner in battle, to spy on them and weaken their spirits with fear.

At least he had gotten to say farewells to his wife. Because Genzi wasn't sure he'd be coming back to her tonight.

Glancing first to his right, he watched Temari as she scoped the horizon, staying silent and always keeping her left hand clutching on her fan, which stayed tied down on her back. She was a good woman. Kind, fierce, beautiful. His heart lurched at the thought of her dying because of him. A ninja he had selfishly hired because of his own mistakes.

He looked to his left, seeing Shikamaru tread through the snow with a face more serious and harder than his female partner, Temari. He had a stiff neck, as if any slight noise would set off a flurry of shurikens and kunais in its direction. From what he had seen in the past few days, Shikamaru really did take his jobs seriously, as the Hokage had promised him when she responded to his request. If Shikamaru died, too, there would be an unforgivable guilt and sin on his heart that no time could ever take away.

Neither of them deserved to be there. But, then again, neither of them _had _to be there. Genzi grasped at the area on his chest where the necklace would usually be hanging. No matter what, Jerome, Shikamaru, and Temari would all three stay alive. Even if it meant his own life!

* * *

"So is that the final plan?" came a soft voice, brimming with sureness.

"Yes! From what I've calculated, it should give us more time to evaluate just a bit of his true skills, giving us more of an idea and more of a tactic," came another whisper.

"And more of a chance," was the morbid response.

* * *

Three shapes padded out into a medium clearing.

Genzi was in-between Shikamaru and Temari, with the spiky-head on the left, and the sand-girl on the right. The only one that seemed to show fear was Genzi, as he clutched a shape that protruded from underneath his shirt. A pair of eyes watched the blubbery man from within the treetops, blazing with a greedy lust.

"Ruka!" Genzi hollered around the clearing. "We've brought the Heart of Gold! Now give me back my son!"

Shikamaru glanced over at Temari, who was filtering through the brush around them, looking for a sign of the strange man who had been causing all of their trouble.

There was a quiet swish of air from behind, and heavy pawsteps thudded into the snow. Shikamaru could hear the heavy breathing and the growling of an animal as he swiveled around to see the white wolf charging towards them. Temari and Genzi had turned too, just in time for everyone to move out of the way as the creature's fixated jaws swiped at nothing.

"Temari, now!" Shikamaru yelled, gripping Genzi by his arm.

"Right," she said quietly, grabbing at her fan latched to her back. In a flurry of movements, both the wolf and Temari were face-to-face, ready to attack one another. But Temari had been quicker and well prepared for this. A gust of powerful wind knocked the wolf to its side across the clearing, rolling its huge body a couple of times before it found its balance on its paws. It's yellow eyes narrowed and its snarl deepened, blood trickling down from a cut on its eyebrow.

During this time Shikamaru had run further away to the side, taking out one shuriken from his weapons pouch, timing his throw perfectly in sync with Temari's Cutting Whirlwind Technique.

His shuriken buzzed towards the white wolf just as it regained its balance, but it wasn't so easily defeated – in an impressive performance of power and perception, the enemy wolf had pumped up with its back legs, sending itself soaring towards a nearby tree, where it used the new leverage to bounce back towards Shikamaru, jaws parted to show glowing blue teeth.

"Chakra enforced teeth, as I expected," Shikamaru thought out loud with an impressed grin. He easily dodged the wolf's attack with plenty of time to spare, with which Temari and Genzi used to group back together with him.

"This should be easy," Temari snickered to Shikamaru, firmly planting her fan against the ground and holding it at its base with her hand. It was an insulting insinuation that she was relaxed and unafraid of the wolf's petty strategies, which had obviously irked the wolf as it lifted its tail and lowered its head, preparing for another strike.

This time, however, neither of the ninjas were prepared as the beast's eyes started glowing blue.

"_God's Angelic Twine: Flash of Holy Light!_"

A blinding white light grew from the wolf's forehead, small at first, but soon flashed into a brilliant dazzle of white. Shikamaru gasped as a searing pain ripped through his eyes and into his brain, like a terrible migrain. He tried to close his eyes to rid himself of the blinding whiteness all around them, but it wouldn't fade. He heard somewhere overtop the overwhelmingness of his own situation, the growls of wolf and the screams of a man and woman. In moments, he felt a mighty pressure on his left shoulder, and in moments, the pain and the blinding whiteness was gone, as well as everything else.

* * *

Somewhere hiding within the treetops, a man's glowing blue eyes faded back to a deep brown. There was a smirk on his pale face.

He inched further down the tree, waiting for the perfect moment…

* * *

Three clones disappeared in puffs of white smoke. The clearing was now empty, except for the lone wolf standing at its far end. It snarled and raised its head defiantly.

"_Come out of hiding, little mice, and give me the Heart of Gold."_

Silence.

Its narrowed eyes scanned the brush, starting from left to right. When it could not sense them, its eyes faded back to a pale yellow. In the background somewhere very near, there was a loud squeal, full of pain and fear, and it echoed around the entire area as if something or someone amplified it. It was Jerome.

The wolf lifted its chin again and looked like it could laugh.

* * *

"Genzi, calm down!" Shikamaru commanded desperately.

They were hiding in the cover. The plan was going as expected, but as soon as Jerome began to wail, the devoted father could not hold his place and angrily stood up to reveal their hiding place, racing across the snow towards the wolf. He did not even have any weapons, but had his fist risen with a bloody intent.

"The idiot!" Shikamaru cursed, rushing out to aid him.

Temari clenched her teeth and felt her comrade's frustration, rushing out quickly at his side. "Shoot."

From one tree on the edge of a clearing, a round, black ball was tossed and landed in the snow, rolling once in front of the calm wolf's paws. It quickly exploded to swish black, choking smoke all around the area.

Temari stopped, reaching an arm out to find Shikamaru. She felt his arm and tugged on fiercely, pulling him towards her, so that they could stand back-to-back. "I can't see Genzi!" she yelled frantically.

Shikamaru held his arm up to his eyes and nose, coughing, and tried to pinpoint Genzi's location in the thick fog. _Crap, crap, this is not going well,_ he thought gruesomely to himself.

As quickly as she had pulled him towards her, Temari pushed Shikamaru away a foot or two, and reached for her fan. With an awesome swipe of her strong arms, her fan blew a whirlwind forward and far beyond the clearing, taking majority of the smokebomb with it. As the frenzy of snow, dust, and smoke cleared away, the two ninja stood side-by-side and angrily stared at the scene before them.

The wolf had its jaws wrapped around Genzi's right arm, and on the man's left side, Ruka crouched over his brother, holding a kunai to his throat. But what amazed the two Konoha nins the most was that, standing next to Ruka's left side, there was another white wolf, and a painful-looking pink and hairless scar raged across its side, where Shikamaru's kunai had gorged a hole into it.

It was alive and well, and it held a young eleven-year-old boy by his jacket collar.

Ruka laughed and pressed the kunai further against Genzi's soft skin.

"Give me the Heart of Gold, or they both die."

Temari glanced over at Shikamaru, confused. How did Ruka know that Genzi did not carry the necklace?

"Temari…" Shikamaru whispered to her, though he did not look over at her.

She watched him closely.

"It's now or never," he told her, and she nodded, reaching into her weapon pouch with a confident smirk.


	12. Enduring Our Pains! Stay Brave!

**OMG. Horrible chapter.**

* * *

The petite woman reached inside of her weapons pouch, pulling out two shurikens and a kunai. Ruka and his two wolves stood stock-still as they watched Temari toss the two shurikens their way.

As they swiftly spun forward, Temari began to run to the right, meanwhile passing by Shikamaru who handed her something she would need in a second. Once she passed him by, Shikamaru began to sprint to the left. He had to get into position, and _fast_. Hopefully Ruka would react as he had estimated.

Temari held the kunai in her mouth, wrapping a thin string around the tiny hole in its handle. Now she was ready.

Ruka's eyes were on Shikamaru, but his two wolves watched Temari, snarling through their mouthfuls of flesh and cloth. Shikamaru caught Ruka's eyes, giving him a mocking smile as he stopped in his tracks. Ruka narrowed his eyes and began to do a hand sign, but there was suddenly a flaming kunai at his feet. Temari had thrown an explosive tag tied to a kunai, all part of the plan.

With his own ridiculing grin, Ruka easily hopped away from the kunai in time, taking several large steps back with the kunai still tightly held against Genzi's neck. Meanwhile, his wolves each jumped back, the one holding Jerome stepping a little bit further away, to the left..

Shikamaru watched, his smile wiped off his face and was now completely serious. In a matter of mere seconds, he performed numerous hand signals, and clapped his two index fingers together. The simple plan had worked, and without any complications.

Temari took hold of her fan once more, holding it upwards in a preparation to swing. Ruka laugh at her.

"Hahaha! This is a joke! I'm getting very bored and very impatient with this game. If you don't give me the fu-"

I an instance, Ruka's grip on his kunai loosened and his entire bodied unnaturally stiffened to a point where he could not move. He tried to turn his head towards Shikamaru, but couldn't even move an inch. Shikamaru had tried to reach the wolf that held on to Genzi, but it had foreseen the Jutsu and had jumped away just in time.

"Wh-What the... Hell is this?" Ruka forced out the words.

Shikamaru sighed, as if it was no big deal. "Unfortunately for you, the moon is full tonight. There are shadows everywhere," he informed Ruka, his gaze turning from bored to viciously threateningly. "And unfortunately for you, my _Kagemane no Jutsu _thrives on shadows."

Reacting to its master's vulnerability, the other free wolf standing nearby dropped Jerome at Ruka's feet, charging at Shikamaru with fast strides. One more sprint and it would have been upon Shikamaru if it weren't for the gust of wind that knocked it several yards away. Temari stood a little ways away, panting for breath and wiping dust off of her face. She winked at Shikamaru, giving him a thumbs-up sign, and then rushed towards Genzi, who had since crawled over to Jerome and was holding the shivering boy against his chest. Shikamaru watched as she swiftly guided them towards a nearby tree, at the edge of the clearing.

_Now we have the advantage again!_

But as he looked back at Ruka, he realized that the pale, motionless man had forced a ridiculing smile on his face, and the next moment, there was a raging pain in his right shoulder. Shikamaru had been too naïve, and had forgotten about the wolf that was still running free. He was so intent on getting his three companions away that he never calculated what would happen after his plan. And the wolf was so darn _fast_!

"_Chikushou, _dammit," he said through clenched teeth, refusing to look at his attacker in the eye. For a split moment, the flesh-ripping teeth clamped on his shoulder was so painful that he almost lost control of his shadow Jutsu, but he stubbornly sent an overwhelming flow of chakra back into the outstretching shadow. He would not let his mistake cost them the battle!

* * *

"Take this," she whispered as she handed something to Genzi, making sure to do it sneakily. He took it.

* * *

When Shikamaru did not give up, the wolf only dug its fangs deeper into his shoulder. He roared with pain, enduring it, and two more times his Jutsu almost slipped up, but he gave the shadow more chakra before he lost it. He was still crouched on the ground, Ruka's body reflecting the movements of Shikamaru's. But the enemy only watched with solemn silence as the attacking canine began to shake its head back and forth, digging deeper into the ninja's shoulder until more and more blood poured out.

The other wolf, also caught in the shadow, had its head lowered, growling quietly as it waited for the Jutsu to be released.

And finally, as the pain worsened and became too much to bear, his fingers parted and the shadow's grip on Ruka and the other wolf receded, and it wasn't long before both wolves had rushed him. Now, Shikamaru was lying half-way on the ground two pairs of jaws biting each of his shoulders. He breathed hard, groaning under his breath, but out of his stubborn pride, he was never louder than a short grunt.

Shikamaru expected to be dead within the next few moments, but instead, Ruka had moved from his spot, away from Shikamaru, and appeared next to Temari, just as fast and unnatural as his first appearance had been. She was unprepared as two spindly hands squeezed her wrists, shaking her almost hard enough to give her whiplash.

"Which one of you has the Heart of Gold?" Ruka snarled into her face, obviously thinking his violent force and threats would open her mouth. But all Temari did was give him an evil glare, ignoring the burning and cut circulation in her wrists. When he got no answer, he slapped her upside the face as hard as he could.

Shikamaru's belly went queasy as he lifted his head up to see what was happening. The nausea turned to blunt anger when he saw what was happening.

"Let her go, Ruka!" he yelled across the clearing, trying to sit up. The two wolves held him back, biting his shoulder harder out of spite.

Temari shivered as a cold finger traced her chin very lightly.

"What are you, his wench? Doing everything he tells you to do?" Ruka asks her with a smirk, referring to Shikamaru. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, all the while his grip on her wrists tightening.

Temari winced with pain, but she met his eye, raising her chin with dignity. "You're a sick bastard, and as ugly as hell, you know that? I've never been _anyone's_ wench."

Mustering up her strength, Temari pulled her arm away, taking it as far back as she could, and then threw it forward, attempting to elbow the tall man in his stomach. He stopped her by grabbing her limb, frowning, and began to twist it unnaturally at its joint.

She whimpered softly at first, falling down on her knees, tolerating the pain with quiet dignity. But the further Ruka twisted her arm, the more painful it became, and she couldn't stifle the scream that resulted. It felt like her arm was breaking, and the pain was too overwhelming that she couldn't move to fight back.

Shikamaru gasped for breath, currently dealing with his own pain, but his shoulders seemed to numb while he watched the scene before him. He felt helpless, stupid, afraid, guilty, and like a failure… He had gone through this mission with distractions, and he hadn't worked hard enough. And now, here they were, getting ready to lose the Heart of Gold, and their lives.

No, there had to be another way…

Seething with anger, Shikamaru turned his head towards Genzi. The man caught his eye, looking completely distraught. In his left arm, he held the scared Jerome, and his right hand clasped against his left shoulder to stop some of the bleeding.

"Genzi, use the Heart of Gold!" Shikamaru pled, shuffling underneath the weight of the two wolves. They tried to pry him back against the ground, but Shikamaru began to struggle.

Genzi looked away with shame. "I don't know how to use it!"

This got Ruka's attention, and his head turned towards his brother and nephew. With a confident smile, he violently threw Temari to the ground, leaving her huddled in the dirt and holding her arm against her breast. Genzi tried to crawl away, but Ruka swiped him by the color of his shirt, pulling him up to his face. He saw no necklace around his brother's neck, so Ruka ordered for it.

"Where is it, Genzi?"

Genzi tried to be as brave as possible, turning his face away from Ruka's. He would not submit without a fight.

Jerome watched his father from behind a tree, tears streaming down his smooth and dirty cheeks. His dad was about to die, and possibly Temari and Shikamaru, too, and he was just sitting there. He squeezed his eyes shut, hugging the tree so hard that chunks of bark stuck into his flesh. He had to help them! He had to try and be a real ninja! He drew a breath and jumped forward, sprinting his fastest towards Ruka's side. But before he could even lay a finger on his enemy, his uncle had effortlessly smacked him away with a toss of his fist. Jerome lay in a heap, disgruntled and winded, and when he moved to get up, there was a flash of gold, green, and dark blue, and Ruka's eyes widened.

Now he understood. Genzi had given the Heart of Gold to his son. As if it would be improbable that Ruka would look there. He wiped the smart smirk from his face and acted quickly.

He threw Genzi several feet away, staring down at Jerome while he performed a series of hand signs in a matter of seconds.

"_Hidden Gift of God: Beast Manipulation_."

During a brief pause, both his wolves let go of their grip on Shikamaru, and dashed across the clearing, towards Ruka. Shikamaru watched, confused, as they did not slow their pace down. Instead, they sped up and took a big leap, one after the other, at Ruka. When they touched him, a bright, blue light flashed they seemed to disappear into oblivion. During all of this Ruka had not moved a muscle.

Temari gazed up from the ground, still gasping from the shock of the pain. Genzi was just now getting up on his knees, staring in wild wonder and anxiety at what was happening before them. Jerome was squealing with fear, still lying helplessly on the ground.

Shikamaru had a feeling that they were all about to die.

He tried to act swiftly, moving to sit forward. The wounds on his shoulder were deep and painful, and he wondered if he would be able to move his arms at all. He cringed as he sat forward, and flinched even more when he moved his arms. It was excruciatingl agony to do so, but he needed his arms if there was to be any hope left. Besides, he could deal with the pain, if at least for Temari...

By the time he had the strength to stand, Ruka's Jutsu had been completed. Now standing where Ruka had been a moment before, there was a creature swinging its jaws back and forth, its two, white tails swishing back and forth like a whip. Ruka had transformed into some not so human, not so wolf monster, or maybe a demon. Shikamaru wasn't sure what it really was.

It had a wolfish muzzle, with two rows of long, sharp canines and molars, and it had glowing blue wolf-eyes. Chakra seemed to be emanating from them. Ruka had grown three times his size, and stood on four legs, like a wolf, but protruding from the shoulder were two pairs of pale, bony arms. It's body was rugged and lopsided, too, as if the technique hadn't worked properly. But it looked as menacing as any other enemy Shikamaru had fought, and he knew he had to prepare himself for what was about to come in the next few seconds.

Ruka's eyes were still on Jerome, and he took a step forward with his huge paws, obviously ready to kill a child, his own nephew, all for power…

Temari narrowed her eyes, reaching into her weapons pouch with her good arm. She picked out a shuriken, and as she stood up, she had thrown it towards Ruka's head. It spun closer and closer, and within moments, it made contact with flesh. The mutilated created let out a angry and pained roar, blood spurting from the left side of its head.

Temari had cut off one of its ears.

* * *

**I did not look for errors, I didn't even reread this over and over like I usually do. So, if you catch any grammar errors or ANYTHING else, tell me! You know how I am about that by now xD  
Chapter 13 coming. NOT the last chapter! But only a few more!**


	13. I'm Sorry to Leave You Like This

The wolf-demon crumpled over for a split moment, the flow of blood slowing almost immediately. Then it whipped its head around to glare at Temari, obviously seething with anger.

It took a step forward. Temari stood up, holding her bruised arm, and took a step forward.

Then Temari let go of her arm, reached for another shuriken, and tossed it back at the deformed creature. It easily shifted its weight and the spinning weapon flew into the treetops. But this time, Temari took out her remaining three shurikens. She stared at them for a moment, furrowing her brow. This might be their last chance. She had to work with what she had.

She tossed one shuriken to the left, one to the right, and one straight towards the creatures face. Ruka snarled and ducked away just in time.

But he was surprised when the middle shuriken disappeared in a huge puff of smoke, limiting his visibility, and the real shuriken came flying straight at his face. He was unable to react in time and Temari smirked as it landed square in the center of his forehead, some blood splattering though the air.

The smoke cleared quickly and the four good guys watched as the wolf stumbled backwards, its eyes clouding over. The shuriken was stuck halfway in its flesh and fur, a fatal hit. Or, at least, that's what they thought when the humongous monster collapsed on its belly to the ground, lying still with its eyes now closed.

Shikamaru didn't delay as he stumbled over to Temari. They were both panting, both exhausted and disturbed, but this fight was nothing new to them. They were ninjas, having come close to death many times. Temari turned her head slowly to watch Shikamaru making his way towards her, catching his eye. She smiled, he smiled, and a warm feeling washed over her. Everything was going to be okay.

Jerome had crawled towards Genzi and the father held his son in his arms, both of them trembling together from their traumatic experience. Genzi knew why he felt more disturbed than anybody, probably even his own son. He would have brooded more on the reasons if, when he looked up, he did not see the claws of the creature slowly flex into the dirt. He gasped, unable to speak for a moment from the shock of what he was seeing. The wolf silently stirred, acting faster than it ever had before. Genzi had no time to scream for Shikamaru and Temari as it snapped its eyes open and crashed towards the two ninja, as if the shuriken was no longer lodged in its forehead.

It happened in slow motion; Shikamaru cursed some colorful words, Temari yowled and reached for Shikamaru's bloody arm. The wolf was upon them faster than they could react with weapons, jaws spread wide to take them both down at the same time. Without thinking about the consequences, Shikamaru's instincts caused him to flail the arm that Temari grasped, pushing her away from the wolf's line of impact, and he stood still in horror as Ruka came upon him in less than a second. There was a sickening sound of ripping flesh, a shower of blood drenched the white demon's face and teeth, and a limp body was lifted in the air and soared across the clearing. Shikamaru landed with a thud, on his back, a good distance away from the scene. His mangled body didn't move.

Temari surprised herself by responding rather quickly, screaming Shikamaru's name desperately and racing towards his body. Jerome tore away from Genzi and did the same, the Heart of Gold now dangling outside of his shirt and jacket.

"Shikamaru, don't do this now, God, why did you do this now," Temari gasped, throwing herself on the ground as she finally sprinted far enough to reach the fallen Shinobi. A panic very much unlike anything she had ever felt made her heart flutter and her head spin. She forgot that Ruka was still alive, still there, and she gazed at Shikamaru's face. Her belly lurched with mixed emotions. He was still alive! He was still _alive_! She found herself crying as she looked down at his wounds. They were hard to miss. His flesh was so badly distorted that it was hard to tell apart bloody flesh with bloody cloth. He wouldn't be alive for very long. Temari wasn't stupid. She ignored Jerome when he flung himself next to Temari, staring at the ghastly scene. Or, rather, she didn't even notice the boy. All she could do was stare at Shikamaru's black eyes as they flickered open painfully. He was gasping for breath, clutching the snow beneath his fingers.

"Temari?" he murmured, staring up at the night sky, cloudless. It was an effort just for him to talk.

The blonde ninja of Suna crawled closer to his face, looking into his hazy eyes. She had to wipe away the tears that welled up in her own eyes because she couldn't see his face clearly.

"I'm here, Shikamaru. I'm okay," she cried, taking the left hand of her best friend in one her own. She squeezed it reassuringly and brushed her thumb across his skin, both their gazes locked on each other's. She never imagined that this simple mission was going to end this way. Everything about this mission was messed up. Nothing went the way it was planned. Her tears only became worse until her stomach was heaving with a pain that was even worse than her burning arm.

"Please stay with me! Just a little longer," Temari pleaded as she enclosed his forehead with the palm of her other hand.

He took a huge breath, comforted at Temari's touch. He was glad at the way he was dying. It may have not been the way he had planned, but he died saving Temari's life, someone precious to him. And he wasn't dying alone. He got to say some last words.

"I'm sorry," he told her with a forced smile.

Temari knew why he was apologizing, but she also knew that _he _knew he didn't need to say anything. It was his choice to do what he did and she couldn't have stopped him if she had tried. That was why he was saying sorry - for leaving her this way. She merely sniffled and returned the forced smile with one of her own, leaning her head down to meet forehead-to-forehead, nose-to-nose with Shikamaru, still holding his shaking hand. It almost felt as if they were dying together.

Jerome watched the scene unfold, uncontrollable sadness and anger welling up inside of him. He didn't know why, but he felt out of body. His head was blacking out and there was a foreign fury deep inside of him that began to take over his entire being. He couldn't stop it.

Shikamaru breathed a few more important words to Temari. Although he was dying, the mission was still happening, and if he was to not die in vain, Temari had to get over him for them moment. She had to finish what had been started in his place, by herself.

"Tell Jerome… To use the Heart of Gold… I believe in him… In the necklace."

She nodded gently, her tears rolling down her chin and onto Shikamaru's. But she wanted a few more moments with him. Just a few. Her gut-wrenching sobs came back and she stared at Shikamaru's eyes for the longest time, never looking away until they finally closed, and the pressure of his hand in hers disappeared. He was out of it. He was gone.

She squeezed her eyes shut tight, scrunching up the snow in her right hand wrathfully. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was so much better than her in every way. She couldn't so this alone.

She knew she had to get back to the mission, but it was so hard to look away from his pale face and his terrible, fatal injury. She almost considered giving up… Dying with Shikamaru… But she had a new duty. To prevent Shikamaru's death from being in vain. When she finally tore her gaze away from her dead friend, she gasped at what she saw. It was Jerome, now standing, his fingers balled up in fists and clenching with rage. His eyes were open, but they were filled with a blue resonance, and his body had a pale blue complexion to it. The Heart of Gold had been somehow activated. Temari stared at it in awe, almost fearfully. Jerome had been taken over by a family heirloom, a necklace with a mind of its own. It was more chilling than Ruka's new, mutated form, when he had first completed his Jutsu.

Speaking of Ruka, the wolf-creature had begun to slowly advance towards the boy, completely oblivious to Genzi's shrieks and Temari's presence. He felt complete elation at what he was seeing and hearing. The Heart of Gold was speaking to him, calling him closer, entering his mind and wishing for its master.

_It wants me! It recognizes my worth!_

A dry laugh came from his open jaws, the bright red blood of Shikamaru dripping into the snow below. He continued to walk forward, all the while Genzi stood fearfully, watching his son and the necklace's inspiring power. He and Temari caught each one's eye, both unsure of the current situation.

And then, in a moment of complete silence, Ruka stopped still and Jerome spoke. His voice was overshadowed by another, scratchy and barely recognizable, and yet clear as daytime. Ruka's face turned from proud and smug, to simply horrified.

"You will pay for your transgressions."

Then without any other warning, an electrical wave of blue shot out of the necklace's emerald core, towards Ruka. He dodged the first attack and stumbled into the snow, some of his fur having been singed. But the necklace was so quick that it had sent another shock wave swirling towards the enemy before he could even recuperate his senses.

His body convulsed as the blue jolt passed into his body. What had seemed like a bolt of lightening was actually a line of an immense amount of compacted chakra, and it was causing extreme pain as it was released into Ruka's body. He realized what it was on his own. His chakra points were being completely destroyed and he couldn't stop it as he fell to the ground. His deformed body was enveloped with a blue aura and a few seconds later, his Jutsu broke. His scrawny body laid sprawled out on the snowy ground, next to two, motionless wolves. Several moments passed and the three of them finally twitched, trying to stand but almost completely immobilized. Without any chakra lines in their body, they were unable to use any more Ninjutsu. And this would last forever.

"No…" Ruka scowled, inching his fingers towards his leg pouch. After all this, the necklace refused him. He wasn't about to go down without a fight. He'd take somebody with him!

He grasped a weapon, and with the last of his strength, he tossed a poisoned senbon towards the young boy. It hit him almost directly in a vital spot. It wasn't an instant kill… But it didn't matter. Jerome had been deathly poisoned. He laughed defiantly as the necklace retaliated with another beam of blue light, but it was different in that it was a straight path and it moved much more slowly. It struck Ruka unswervingly and there was an explosion of smoke, fire, flesh, and snow.

Genzi was thrown to the ground as the soiled air rushed around him. He couldn't see Temari, and he couldn't see Jerome, and it frightened him.

"Jerome! Jerome!" he screamed for his son, coughing and glancing through the thick smoke. It took a moment to clear, but when it did, Ruka and his two wolves were nowhere to be found. Their bodies had been disintegrated in the small explosion. Temari had fallen overtop Shikamaru's body, as if he was still alive and needed protection.

Jerome was there, too. Genzi watched, afraid, and tears glistened in his wide eyes. That was his _son_. And yet, it wasn't. It wasn't Jerome at all.

Temari glanced up at the small boy in wonderment. But she felt a chilling sensation at his gaze, and she wasn't sure if she should consider him friend or foe. She gasped as Jerome reached out and touched her shoulder, pushing her away from Shikamaru. He was so cold, so very cold, and she wondered if the Jerome underneath the necklace's influence was going to be okay.

She wondered what he was doing as kneeled at the fallen ninja's side. But everything was answered when he said something extraordinary.

"He is still alive."

And in the next few minutes, Genzi and Temari watched in silence as the necklace's amazing power healed all of Shikamaru's bloody wounds, from every cut and incision to fatal slit and failing organs. When the overshadowed boy finished his work, the Heart of Gold stopped glowing and went back to its dormant slumber. And Jerome fell to the ground, next to the healed Shikamaru. Both of them unmoving but still breathing.

* * *

**Hey! Guess what my Mom's shop got last week?A DRIVE-THROUGH. CHECK THIS INSANITY OUT.  
****(take all spaces out, dumdums xD)  
ht tp : //i13 . photo bucket . c o m/alb ums/ a258/hailey amandar/ ouac1 . jpg**

**So umm, does that excuse the crappy update time? D -pleaseohhplease-**

**Hahaha, well, yeah, if you caught any errors of any and all sorts, send it in PM or in your review, please, and I'll fix it right up.**

**MUCH AUTHOR LOVE TO MUCH LOVED FANS **

**(P.S. - Nobody was harmed in the outcome of the drive-through. Except the poor storefront, of course. And the culprit's insurance and the landlord shall pay for all of the damages done, YAY.)**


	14. Hello

_Pain. Nothing but pain._

_And then there was Temari's voice. Temari's touch. The things he realized he never got to say._

_The pain started to disappear and his mind began to slow down. But then he fell asleep._

He opened his eyes a little while later, to darkness.

There was an aching stiffness in almost every inch of his body, especially his shoulders. He was shirtless and wrapped in bandages, but he could move around rather easily and painlessly if he took it slow. So he did, sitting up slightly against his pillows and letting his tired eyes adjust to everything around him.

It took a moment for recognition to settle in. He was alive, sitting on a comfortable bed, staring up at a shadowed ceiling. There was no darkness now that his eyes were almost fully awake, only shades over a bright window. And when he turned to his left he saw that he wasn't alone.

There was someone lying close to him, fully clothed and quite unkempt, twitching in her sleep. She wasn't using any pillow and she was curled up into a fetal position, lying on her side. And somehow, even though she looked exhausted and dirty and not very lady-like, Shikamaru thought she just appeared so much more beautiful than she ever had been to him before. Perhaps because this was the first time he was seeing her with his eyes truly opened. The first time he was seeing her after he was sure he was going to die. And he was just so happy to be there, to be alive with her and watch her sleep, that he took his time waking her up.

He remembered clearly what had happened last night. Every detail until the moment he had blacked out. He thought about this entire mission and all the words he and Temari had spoken to each other, and then he traveled further back in time, to the very first day he met her. She had never failed to captivate him and stimulate his mind and body, and she never stopped looking so beautiful… He had been denying it before, refusing to let anything happen any further with it, but he knew how deep his feelings really were for Temari. The only thing last night had changed was his decision; he was a ninja, she was a ninja, both from different homes. They had limited time together and so he wasn't going to hold himself back any longer.

He brushed some hair away from her face and watched as she stirred awake, opening her teal eyes. Recognition settled in for her, too, and she flailed herself upward, meeting his gaze and just… Staring. They stared before saying anything, doing anything. But it didn't take very long before the fresh tears began to flow down Temari's face. They hugged each other and she began to cry into his bandages – but she was smiling, too, smiling so wide. Shikamaru's lips quivered.

"You're finally awake… I waited for you to wake up because I knew you would," was the first thing she said. She squeezed him tighter and he was surprised to see that his wounds didn't hurt from her strong grip. Did he have wounds anymore? Maybe he was losing his mind.

Maybe he really was dead. And this was his heaven.

He always thought he'd be the type to go to Hell. He had never really been a religious person, anyway, and didn't much care enough to think about it. But if he was in Hell, They must have messed up big time, because he couldn't have been any more ecstatic.

"Of course I'm awake," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her back. He smiled to himself.

Once again, she only constricted the hug even further, sending familiar tingles throughout his body. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. When you got hurt, I tried to imagine myself without my Shikamaru, and I just couldn't do it." Her voice got shaky. "I thought I was going to be alone. You've been the only person who ever truly understood me. You're the only person I could ever imagine myself _with._"

_With._

He understood exactly what she was talking about. The kind of relationship where you could be both devoted friend and passionate lover, eternal rivals and yet the perfect team. He had always recognized the strange relationship they had both been developing, and it always made him smile. Nobody could appeal to him as much as Temari did, excite him like she did, and he always knew that she'd be the one he could depend on. And, maybe, he could be the one she depended on for anything. The perfect duo.

He felt himself tearing up at her words, like a little girl. They had struck one of his only soft spots. Mostly because, he realized that they both felt exactly the same. And it felt good to hear it out loud.

"You know, Temari, if you don't love me and don't return my feelings, if at any time, I know that I could never love another person. I'd lose my inspiration and my mom would most definitely kick me out of the house. So don't leave me all alone like that, all right? It'd be a troublesome situation for me."

He felt her body wrench and thought at first that she was crying, but after a few moments he realized she was amused. She pulled her face up and wiped away her small tears, squeaking with laughter. They smiled at each other, studying one another's faces, trying to remember the day forever.

"Ohh, you know I always will love you, Lazy. After all, I'll never find anybody else who could ever put up with my dominating spirit like you can. I'd better settle with you."

"That was not very romantic."

"Since when has our relationship ever been romantic?"

"As always, you find a way to turn my words around on me."

And then that was when they both leaned forward, their blood pumping and their hearts racing, their eyes yearning and hungry. Their lips met each other for the very first time, and their tongues just _had_ to say 'hello'.

Shikamaru was sure he was in something like Heaven. Where he had just one troublesome woman to occupy his entire being.

* * *

"Finally! We are able to have our feast!" Genzi hollered as Aruki finished setting up the table. Both he and Jerome were already sitting at the table with their forks in their left hand and their knives in their right. "Hurry on up, Shikamaru, or you'll miss it!"

Aruki shot him a glare and he smiled meekly in return. _Wives._

Just around the corner, Temari had her arm looped around Shikamaru's, and she was helping him walk to the table. It had been five days since the ending of the mission, and although Shikamaru's wounds had been fully healed, his body was still weak and needed time to recover. It'd be another week or so before they'd be sailing home to Konoha.

Just days before he knew that he'd be turning down Temari's help and would be ordering his food in bed, but, hey. He couldn't get enough of Temari anymore, and he knew he'd be making her happy. Or maybe she'd just be full of herself. But when she was full of herself, she was happy, right?

Besides… He owed it to Genzi and Aruki and he knew he'd be making them happy, too. He knew he was being quite the people-pleaser lately, but he defended himself by assuring that it was only with the people he held dear. And this family had grown on him just as much as his own.

The food looked fantastic and professional. Aruki said she had help from Genzi cooking everything, but Temari was sure that Aruki did most of it. It was one of Woman's knack, after all.

There was beef, there was rice, there was bread, there was soup, there was fish, there was corn, there was fried oysters, there was…too much to eat and too much to keep track of, really. But in the end a good three-quarters of the meal had been demolished and they all sat back, feeling quite proud of themselves.

They talked for about an hour. About everything. They retold Shikamaru the complete story, filling in parts that they had missed and possibly exaggerating some of the account. Meanwhile Aruki had poured them all a glass of wine and they even gave a little bit to Jerome for him to try.

"A toast to our saviors, our friends, and our family, Shikamaru and Temari, that they might live long and happy lives."

They all held their cups up and then took a sip. Meanwhile, Shikamaru's hand found his way to Temari's and they enclosed around each other gently.

Oh how he longed to get home already.

* * *

**Still not done :D**

**Do you people want a sequel? Well, then, you're going to have to beg me to finish the one I'm stuck on! BWAHA. -evil-**


	15. Goodbye

"Well… This is it."

Genzi stood near the edge of the pier, staring at the colorful city's tall buildings in the distance. He had always loved Konoha; it was somehow just so appealing, the way the little streets accentuated the orange walls, and, in the distance, the stone memorial of the past Hokages.

He turned around to look at the four people standing quietly in a straight line. They were staring at the village the same way he was, their brows creased as they fell into deep thought.

"It's been a pleasure having you two with us. We've paid the Hokage and so I'm sure she'll have your payments ready, too," Genzi told them quietly. Temari smiled gratefully and Shikamaru nodded once. Otherwise they were as silent as the stars in the night sky.

After the moments of silence, however, Jerome squeaked his disapproval and let go of his mother's hand, rushing towards Temari and giving her a hug that barely reached past her belly. "I don't want you to go! It's not fair," he wept, burying his face into her black kimono.

Temari glanced at Shikamaru, and then kneeled down to be at eye-level with the small boy. He wiped his tears away.

"We'll meet again someday. I promise. Come visit Konoha sometime, and I'll come straight over from Suna. Shikamaru and I will hang out with you. Does that sound fair?" She poked his nose playfully, causing him to smile.

"Yeah."

She nodded, stood back up, and Aruki pulled him back into her arms. A couple of more goodbyes passed between the friends. They hugged, they thanked, and so on and so forth. Aruki caught Temari's eye and they both smiled.

"You were right, you know," Temari whispered, glancing at Shikamaru. "I guess we do have something going for us."

Aruki nodded knowingly. "He would take good care of you."

A minute later, the two Shinobi had begun their long walk across the docks, towards home.

"Oi, Shikamaru. Wait," Genzi called from behind, and Shikamaru stopped to listen. Genzi rushed towards him and held out his hand. In his palm was a small necklace.

"You're giving me the Heart of Gold?" Shikamaru asked, slightly bewildered.

Genzi smiled. "Yes, I am. I don't need it with me. None in my family are ninja. Besides, it's a dangerous heirloom, and to be honest, I no longer want any part of it. It's a shadowed memory for me now."

He dropped the necklace into Shikamaru's outstretched hand, and backed away. "Thanks for everything, Shikamaru. You're a life-saver, you know that?" He held out his hand again.

Shikamaru took it and they shook on their friendship one last time. Finally Shikamaru returned at Temari's side, and they watched as the Usura family boarded their vessel and sailed away.

* * *

"Genzi sure did give you two a good report," Tsunade said, resting her chin on two fists. "You should read his papers about each of you. He's thoroughly impressed with Konoha's ninja and he plans to continue calling on us for assistance in the future. I must say I'm surprised that you two did it so well."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," both ninja echoed each other, dipping their heads respectfully. They stood closer together than they had just weeks before, when the mission had just been issued. Tsunade seemed to notice it because she sat back and studied them for a long moment of silence.

Shikamaru tried to speak but she raised her right hand to silence him.

"The reason why I'm stunned you two did a fantastic job," Tsunade said with a smile, "is because you two argue more than cats and dogs do. Now that the mission is over, Shikamaru, you're standing up a bit more straight, Temari isn't hitting you every five seconds, and you both seem to have a greater respect for each other. I suppose the mission inside of the mission was a success."

Her smile widened as she watched the faces of the two youngsters.

"What? You sent just the two of us on purpose?" Temari was the first to ask, her hand now on a hip. Shikamaru pouted a lip and turned to look at Temari as if she was in a different light.

"Yes. Yes, I did," Tsunade admitted, sitting back into her chair, crossing her legs, and putting her arms behind her head. "It was actually a mutual agreement between Gaara and I. We want to work on our village's ties."

Shikamaru frowned. "So you both picked two candidates to represent each village, right?"

"Well, kind of. To be honest the point of putting you two together on that B-ranked mission was just because I like to mess around with you and I thought you two could need it. I just used the 'village ties' thing as an excuse…"

Temari looked aghast. "Okay, that's fine, but what does this all mean? Village ties? Are you and Gaara trying to reform the villages' alliance?"

"Bingo," Tsunade said sitting back up to start shifting through some papers on her desk.

There was a long pause in the conversation. But as Tsunade sorted through her paperwork, Shikamaru and Temari glanced sneakily at each other, unable to hide the goofy smiles on their faces. Neither of them thought it would happen so soon, but it was happening now.

Konohagakure and Sunagakure were allies again.

"But listen, you two are only allowed to know this right now. None of the other Chuunin know about it, not even Genin Naruto. Only you and the Jounins have been contacted about this. Don't look so excited, because this is a rocky road we're heading to. First of all, this means loads of more paperwork for you," she pointed at Temari, "and this means _plenty_ of more missions for _you_," her finger was now pointing at Shikamaru a bit more accusingly. Shikamaru's posture immediately slumped, but Temari was still smiling. "There's still a lot of things to be done. And Shikamaru, since Temari is an ambassador and the sister of the Kazekage and you're her assigned guide, her must show her double the respect from now and tend to her requests."

"What, so now I'm a slave?" he groaned, slapping the top of his head as if he had a sudden headache. Temari just put an arm around him.

"Don't worry, Tsunade-sama, Shikamaru is going to enjoy tending to my whims. I'll make good use of him." She smiled evilly and Tsunade raised a brow.

"Well, then, you two are dismissed. I hope to see more of you around here, Temari," she said, nodding to her guest.

Shikamaru and Temari left the room right away, and Tsunade had a chance to sit back and think things through. Shizune entered the room, but Tsunade didn't really notice. She pulled out a blank sheet of paper, picked up her pen, and began to write.

"_Dear Respected Kazekage… Temari is back from the mission and_…"

Shizune quietly interrupted. "Umm, Hokage-sama…"

Tsunade stopped writing and looked up. "Yes, what is it?"

"Jiraiya, err… Well, Jiraiya has gotten drunk again and is on top of this building, right now, in the nude, raving about you again."

Tsunade rolled her eyes rather casually and stood up to head for her door. "I swear, one day I'm going to…"

"But he's not alone this time," Shizune interrupted.

Tsunade turned on her heels to look at her assistant, a bit confused. This was new. Jiraiya never _had_ any company to get drunk _with_. "Who is it?"

Shizune bit her lip, but a small smile creased her lips. "It's Naruto."

Tsunade stared at her for the longest moment. "…He got Naruto drunk?

When Shizune nodded, Tsunade began to laugh and she walked back to her chair to pick it up. "Well, I'll be damned, we can't miss the show, can we? Come on, Shizune, I need to send a couple of messages around. I think Naruto's friends would love to see this, don't you think so?"

"But..." Shizune began. Tsunade shook her head.

"Don't worry, that'll be punishment enough for the poor kid. I'll deal with Jiraiya later."

* * *

**Okay, finally the end.  
Expect a sequel but don't expect it necessarily soon. In the meantime I'll be working on oneshots for your enjoyment!**

**A million thanks to my wonderful reviewers. You were some great support and I'll be sure to repay you folks with some more of my writing. It's because of your thoughts and criticism that I've become a little bit better of a writer out of this story.**

**See you all sometime later!**

**(P.S. - I mean... Come on. Naruto _DRUNK_. Isn't that just... Fun?)**


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